Lucky Charm
by EikoDoll
Summary: How did Naruto go from being the loser of Konoha High to little miss popular's 'lucky charm? It all started when she realized his KISS had the power to get her an A in history. Now all the girls in school are after him! Curse you Sakura Haruno.
1. For the Sake of My Convertible

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter One: For the Sake of My Convertible

* * *

He felt that dark aura again. It haunted him every time he looked, or even _thought_ of the color pink...

He ran.

But every time he tried to get away, she would always be there...

giving him a look he knew all too well.

THAT look. It haunted him more than the color pink!

The boy came to a dead end and nervously tried to look for another way out.

"_Running away is useless_."

He nearly screamed in terror when he heard her, the devil's voice.

"Just leave me alone!" the boy exclaimed, backing up against the wall as she walked closer to him.

He was trapped. The only possible way to escape was to run straight towards her and hope she moves aside. As he was about to make a dash for it, she seemed to have caught on and made a dash towards him as well.

"Oomph!"

The boy had been brutally tackled to the ground. The **devil** pinned him on the floor and hastily pressed her lips against his.

"Mmmmmphmmph!" his muffled cry for help was unheard.

He struggled underneath her for a few seconds, and she finally sprang up, releasing him from her unnaturally strong hold.

"Section two quiz, here I come!" she grinned evilly and laughed all the way down the corridor.

The boy lay motionless on the floor and stared up at the ceiling with horror stricken eyes.

"Curse you, Sakura Haruno."

* * *

_Several Days Earlier..._

The main entrance into Konohagakure high was vivacious with students talking, laughing, and hanging out with each other in their own little groups; so far, it was a fairly peaceful day.

Usually at a time like this something crazy would -

"NAAAAARUUUUUUTOOOOOOO!" It was a deadly screech.

Deadly enough to hush the students out of fear.

A tall, blond woman in her mid fifties (with exceedingly large breast) burst through the halls, causing all the students to back away. They knew it was in their best health not to get in the Principal's way. If they weren't so engulfed in terror, they would have found their Principal's _situation_ quite amusing: she was drenched in blue paint...

Of course they didn't laugh...

or they would die.

"WHERE THE HELL IS NARUTO UZUMAKI!" she slammed a fist into the nearest locker.

Everybody knew that name.

He was known all throughout Konoha high school.

You see a pretty girl walking around campus, and they say, _"Hey she's cute. What's her name again?"_ You see a first-string basketball player smoking marijuana in the boy's bathroom, and they say, _"Isn't that the guy who shot that three-pointer at the end of first half...I can't remember his name."_ You see a teacher scandalously making out with one of his students behind the abandoned bleachers, and they say, _"Oh my gosh! Mr...um...what's-his-face! I saw him making out with that girl behind the bleachers yesterday after school!"_

Names were hard to remember; it doesn't even matter if you are a pretty girl, a really good athlete, or the guy who teaches algebra.

But for some reason, everyone knew **his** name...

and that wasn't a compliment.

_"Ugh. Of course it's Naruto Uzumaki AGAIN."_

_"Naruto's always causing trouble. This is why everyone hates him."_

_"Yeah. Whenever he makes the principal suffer, we ALL have to suffer."_

_"How 'bout we all gang up on him after school and beat him up?"_

_"We only do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Don't get ahead of yourself. We have to rest sometime, you know?"_

_"Aww, fine."_

Tsunade eyed the students suspiciously, as if they were hiding something.

She really had no idea that her students would sell Naruto out at any given moment. It's not like he had any friends to back him up...

Finally giving up on her quest, she snorted unlady-like and stomped toward her office.

_"Whew. That was scary."_

_"That stupid Naruto. I hope he gets caught."_

_"Hehehe, she kinda looks like those alien thingies from that Avatar movie. You gotta admit, it was funny."_

_"Still hate him."_

Somewhere deep within the darkest hall, stood a tall figure in the shadows. The mischievous blue-eyed boy chuckled softly after 'Tsunade-baa-san's' little scene. "This doesn't look good. Looks like I'm going to have to skip school today." he shrugged, and watched everyone scatter across the hall when the first bell rang.

* * *

Oh great.

She was late again!

Sakura Haruno tied her pink hair messily into a bun and stuck in a few jeweled pins for the sake of fashion. She didn't even have enough time to brush her damn hair! Next was her uniform. She sloppily put on her stockings and slipped into a skirt. Her collared shirt smelled questionable, however she forced herself in it quickly. Her tie? She would have to fix it up on the way to school. She grabbed her jacket to complete the look and ran out the door with amazing speed.

Ever since she started dating that arrogant asshole, she's been nothing but a mess! She only hoped Tsunade wouldn't bitch at her about being late again.

How many tardies did she have this year already?

Oh, that's right, FOURTEEN.

"Soon to be fifteen." she muttered scornfully under her breath.

It was all HIS fault! This is what happens when stupid shallow girls fall for good looks and charm. Sakura hated to admit it, but ever since that **rat** ended their relationship, her life's been a complete _nothing_, if not, worse.

_Sasuke Uchiha_

Sakura had always been popular amongst her peers. Not only was she outrageously beautiful to the point of envy, she carried the kind of personality that made it easy for her to make friends. She was crowned the most popular girl in high school, and she was only in her freshmen year! So it was only natural she'd date the most popular guy in school, right? And his name was Sasuke Uchiha. People actually thought he was some sort of god...and for a while, she honestly thought so too. Sakura had always been attracted to Sasuke, but never attempted to make a move seeing as how he never showed the slightest interest in her. It was only about a year ago when he surprisingly asked her to be his date for junior prom. She was ecstatic! And it all went uphill from there. She proudly carried the title 'Sasuke's girlfriend' around school like a trophy, and constantly bragged about her relationship with the famous, good looking Uchiha.

And oh was he good looking.

Unfortunately, he still is.

"Argh!" she shook her head viciously. "Stop thinking about him."

As if things couldn't get worse...

"UGH!" she felt herself collide into a brick wall, or at least what felt like a brick wall. They both landed painfully on the ground,

and Sakura felt warm lips melt within her own.

She quickly pulled back and looked at the 'brick wall' in shock.

"W-What the hell was that for?" shouted the brick wall.

"What - where'd you - YOU KISSED ME!" Sakura hastily stood on her feet and backed up into a real brick wall.

Her eyes were fixed more carefully on the boy, and she suddenly realized who he was. Blond hair, blue eyes, tattooed whiskers...

"N-Naruto!" she screamed in horror, about ready to gag.

Naruto dusted the dirt on his uniform and frowned angrily at her. "Weirdo, why'd you kiss me all of a sudden?" he scoffed at her horror stricken face.

Sakura openly gawked at him. "What makes you think I wanted to!" she mentally shook a fist at him. "Oh, god! My life is over!" she cried. If people at school found out about this...

fuck.

"Whatever! Just don't let it happen again!" he snorted and turned to the opposite direction of where _school_ was.

Still backed up against the brick wall, Sakura watched as Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and muttered gibberish under his breath. Dumbstruck by his bad attitude, yet more so by what had just happened, she stood there frozen. She could have sworn she saw a light blush appear on his face. However, that was far from important.

SHE JUST KISSED NARUTO UZUMAKI!

The biggest loser of her school!

And now she's _really_ late,

Tsunade's going to pound her.

Was she cursed or something?

* * *

"This is the fifteenth time."

Sakura tensed when she saw a humongous vein appear on the Principal's forehead. Although, that wasn't the only thing she noticed,

"Tsunade, you're blue-"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" the woman scolded her, mostly out of embarrassment. She cleared her throat and attempted to calm herself down when she saw Sakura flinch fearfully in her seat. "What's your excuse this time, huh?"

The pink haired girl cleared her throat nervously. "Well, you see, I place the blame entirely on Sasuke."

"Your ex-boyfriend?"

Sakura inwardly cringed at the word 'ex'. However, mentally shook that off.

"Yup."

"And why is that?"

"Because ever since I started **and** stopped dating him, I've been lost and confused and my brain's totally gone missing. And that's all because he made me do _drugs_." Sakura retorted in a very dramatic tone.

"Is that true?"

"Everything but the drug part." she responded casually. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, and Sakura quickly intervened. "But he might as well be guilty of making me do drugs...drugs of false love." she silently pretended to cry.

Tsunade looked at her with boredom. "Are you done bullshitting me yet?"

"Yeeeees." Sakura inwardly pouted.

"So why are you _really_ late?"

"I would have been early if someone hadn't robbed me of my cherry, red convertible-"

"Oh don't go blaming me for this. You deserved it, and you know it." Tsunade scolded her.

Sakura sighed and leaned back in her seat. Sometimes it sucked when your principal also happens to be your guardian. When her parents died five years ago, they entrusted Sakura in Tsunade's care, and ever since then its been nothing but hell for the poor emerald-eyed girl. That woman would make a very successful watchdog. Always on her case...

"Your grades are a mess, Sakura. Especially in Kakashi's class. You're failing, and it's already the third quarter of the year! How are you ever going to get accepted into college?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You don't understand! That man is the devil; he's out to get me!"

"Oh really? I can't imagine why." Sakura opened her mouth to make a retort, until Tsunade piped in. "Oh wait! Maybe it's because you constantly talk back to your teachers and expect them to raise your grades just because you have connections with the principal. Or maybe it's because you come to class late and never bother to do your homework?"

Sakura replied with a silent 'hmph' and crossed her arms.

"If you don't bring up your grades, I'm going to have to sell that car-"

"WHAT!"

Tsunade casted her a cynical look. "You heard me."

They engaged in an angry staring contest,

but after five seconds, Sakura gave in and walked out of the office fuming without a word.

Tsunade sighed and gently rubbed her temples.

What has gotten into that girl?

* * *

"Wow, Sakura, I'm surprised." said her weird, masked teacher. "You actually decided to come to class today."

"Uh yeah." she fidgeted nervously into her seat knowing all eyes were on her. "Sorry I'm late, Kakashi-sensei."

The silver haired man walked up to her desk looking mildly surprised. "Did you just apologize? I'm even more surprised."

All the students in class laughed. Sakura was not one to apologize for her actions.

"Are you going to stand here all day or are you gonna teach me something?" Sakura said in an uninterested tone, giving Kakashi the 'I will seriously get up and leave any minute' look.

The silver haired man chuckled and said, "Now there's the Sakura we all know."

The class laughed again.

Sakura pretended to pout,

but then after a while fell short and silently giggled.

"However, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sakura." she looked up at Kakashi with confusion in her emerald eyes. "I won't be teaching anything new today."

"Oooooo. Free period?" Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Nope. Chapter sixteen exam."

Sakura's eyes dulled.

"And you would have known that if you were in class last week." he gave her a stern look.

Sakura gave him a pouty look. "Can't I make it up another day?"

"Do you have an excuse note?"

"No."

"Well then I guess you're taking the exam today."

"Grrrrr. Meanie."

"Flattery gets you nowhere." Kakashi winked and handed her the exam that seemed to go on forever.

Sakura made no attempt to conceal her look of misery.

After looking over the contents of the exam, she realized she had no idea what the answers were. Thank god it was a multiple choice exam. She sank deeper into her chair and turned her head slightly to the right knowing full well she would come to look at

Sasuke Uchiha.

He sat there as confident as ever. All he had to do was hear the lecture, and there was his instant A. He didn't need to go through the constant tortures of studying and procrastinating. His brain was beyond human belief. At least that's what everyone in school thought, including Sakura herself. So when the raven haired boy used to take her out on late school nights, he had no problem getting up the next day, completely ready for a test. Sakura only wished she had that luxury. She actually needed those late nights to study,

or else she'd fail!

Sasuke just couldn't understand that, and she was enough of a pushover to do whatever he wanted.

Ugh how she wanted to barf...

Sasuke caught Sakura staring at him, and she quickly turned away with a furious look on her face.

She heard him scoff and make that little noise of his, the famous 'hn'.

Asshole.

"Sakuuuuraaa." Kakashi startled Sakura with that dull voice of his. She nearly fell out of her seat. "Are you cheating?"

"O-Of course not!" she flushed and pretended to concentrate on her paper.

* * *

"Sakura!"

The pink haired girl closed her locker and turned to see three girls walking toward her. "Hey, you guys." she smiled.

Noticing the frowns on their faces, Sakura's smile suddenly vanished. They finally caught up with her and leaned sadly against the lockers.

"We heard." said the tall brunette, in a sympathetic voice. "Are you okay?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

"You don't need to hold it in. Just cry." said the platinum blond as she dramatically held Sakura close to her and patted her back.

"Did someone die?" Sakura's voice was unheard.

The shortest of the three, a girl with short, dark purple hair, placed a dainty hand on the pink haired beauty's shoulder. "Sakura, please don't be afraid to hide your feelings." her voice was soft and comforting.

"Are you guys retarded or something? I'm fine." Sakura rolled her eyes at them. Her stomach growled furiously; she forgot to eat breakfast this morning. It completely slipped her mind. "Tenten, Ino, Hinata...," she sighed sadly when she realized something.

All three girls eagerly looked at her, ready to comfort her in any way.

"Which one of you wants to treat me to lunch? I totally forgot my wallet at home."

Their eyes twitched.

"SAKURA YOU JUST GOT DUMPED BY POSSIBLY THE HOTTEST GUY IN THE WORLD AND YOU ACT LIKE ITS NOTHING!" Ino wildly thrashed her arms in the air, wanting to knock some sense into her best friend.

"Ohhhhh. This is about Sasuke."

"NO DUH SHERLOCK HOMEY!"

"Sherlock _Holmes_." Sakura corrected.

"WHATEVER THE HELL!" Ino's eyes burned with passion. "STOP TRYIN' TO ACT COOL AND CRY ALREADY!" she demanded harshly.

Sakura looked boringly into Ino's crystal-clear blue eyes. "First of all, why are you yelling?"

"She forgot to take her medication." Hinata whispered secretly in her ear.

That explains it.

"Second, I don't have to act cool. I'm _naturally_ that way."

Ino looked like she smelled something funky.

"And lastly, I'm not going to cry over a big, stupid jerk like Sasuke. I'm better than that. WAY BETTER." Sakura made it perfectly clear.

Besides, she pretty much cried her heart out the day he broke up with her, leaving her all cried out.

"Oh. And lastly _lastly_, take your medication already. Geez." Sakura muttered under her breath.

The blond haired girl temporarily stopped in her rampage. "Well I was about to, until I heard the rumor: SAKURA GOT DUMPED BY SASUKE OVER THE WEEKEND! SO I THOUGHT I'D GO TO HER AND COMFORT HER BUT SHE'S OBVIOUSLY DEAD INSIDE BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE AT ALL!" Ino huffed.

"Gosh. What's the big deal?" Sakura frowned. "I've seen better."

Ino, Hinata, and Tenten seemed to doubt that. "Oh yeah? Name one." demanded Ino.

Sakura reopened her locker and presented them with a large picture taped inside. "Meet Edward Cullen." she introduced in a dreamy state.

Tenten's eyes dulled. "You mean the fictional character in the Twilight series?"

She hated how girls worshiped at his feet. He's not THAT good looking.

Her statement seemed to have greatly offended Sakura. "What's wrong with falling in love with a fictional character?"

"Well, first of all, it'll never happen because he's FAKE. And second, he's already taken." Ino snorted at her friend's ignorance.

"I'm way hotter than that Bella-Bitch." Sakura muttered bitterly.

"I MEANT ME! BUT DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT, WHY AREN'T YOU SAD OVER YOUR BREAK-UP? THE ONLY WAY TO FEEL BETTER IS TO CRY IT ALL OUT!" said Ino thoughtfully, in an ear-deafening sort of way.

The pink haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Is that what your shrink told you?"

The blond cleared her throat. "Yes."

"I agree with Ino." added Hinata. "I think it's healthy for a girl to cry out her feelings."

"See!" Ino exclaimed.

"We'll be here for you whenever you need us, Sakura." Hinata smiled in support.

That's exactly what Sakura loved about her friends. They would come to her aid whenever she needed them. It was such a relief knowing she had this kind of support. "Aww, thanks you guys." she group hugged them. "This is why **nothing** can come between us." she smiled gratefully.

In the middle of their group hug, another voice happened to call out to Sakura.

And this time it came in the form of a small freshman.

"Hey!" he gave her a boyish grin.

Sakura pulled out of her hug and returned the smile. "What's up, Konohamaru?"

The boy blushed in her presence. "That old bat wants to see you in her office...again."

The four girls rolled their eyes. "Tsunade." they muttered.

It wasn't that odd when Sakura found a little bit of fear in Konohamaru's eyes. "She seems kinda mad. I think you're in trouble."

Sakura laid her hands on her waist and sighed. For a moment she stood there and wondered if she should skip the rest of the day and avoid the wrath of her guardian...but then she knew she'd receive a VERY loud lecture if she ever went through with it. Closing her locker (not before kissing the picture of Edward inside), she walked towards the direction of death. "Thanks for the warning, Konohamaru."

"Be careful, Sakura!" he called out. "She looks dangerous in there." he shivered a little.

* * *

As soon as Sakura stepped into the office, darkness surrounded Tsunade. Sakura felt the chill and nervously sat herself across her guardian, for the second time today.

"What's the problem, Tsunade?" she threw her an innocent look, not entirely sure why she was in trouble.

The principal clenched her fists in rage. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"Tsunade, you're _still_ blue-"

"STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT!"

All of a sudden, someone entered through the door at that exact second Tsunade was about to give Sakura a piece of her mind.

"Oh, hey Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura looked up at him gratefully. "Thanks for saving me. She definitely won't hurt me as much if you're in here." she smiled in relief.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "Looks like I got here just in time then." he returned the smile. "Tsunade-sama, there's really nothing to worry about-" at that moment Kakashi found something very odd about his superior. "You're all blue-"

"Sakura, I'll just get straight to the point." Tsunade quickly interrupted him and opened her desk drawer, pulling out a piece of paper.

The girl looked closely at the paper and frowned.

"This is the exam you took in Kakashi's class not too long ago."

"Oh." Sakura nodded her head understanding the situation very clearly. "So this is what it's about? Well, you see, I didn't study. But I have a good reason for that: It's because Kakashi forgot to tell me the exam was today! Can you believe him?" Sakura laughed sheepishly when Kakashi raised an amused eyebrow at her. "I'll definitely do better next time, Tsunade." she gulped, hoping to get away with it.

All she got out of her guardian was a highly confused look.

"Do you mean to tell me that...you didn't cheat?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to look confused. "Do you mean to tell me that...I actually did _good_ on the exam?"

That heavy burden on Tsunade was suddenly lifted. What a relief! She didn't want her 'daughter' ending up a hoodlum

...like that Naruto brat.

"Sheesh, Tsunade! You actually thought I cheated?" Sakura tsked her. "What little faith you have in me." she shook her head in shame.

"All right. Get outta here, you little punk." Tsunade shooed her away.

Sakura smiled and quickly walked out before Tsunade would find another reason to yell at her.

"You know, she's actually a really smart girl." Kakashi assured.

Tsunade sighed. "Or maybe it's luck."

* * *

There was absolutely no way Sakura had the brains to pass that test without studying.

_'It was definitely luck.'_ she concluded.

Back when Sakura Haruno was a child, she had been a very firm believer in luck.

Girls were always jealous of her cuteness and popularity amongst the little boys and teachers, automatically assuming it was because of the lucky charm she always kept in her Pikachu backpack back in the first grade. Sakura was devastated when someone actually had the nerve to steal her precious lucky charm! Luckily, she realized she didn't need it, because things like popularity and beauty came naturally to her. However, ever since the day she hooked up with Sasuke (which at the time, she thought was luck), her grades began to drop, she lost many of her girlfriends (besides her closest: Ino, Hinata, and Tenten), and she was denied her cherry, red convertible!

Not to mention the constant scoldings she received from Tsunade.

And don't even remind her of that kiss she shared with Naruto Uzumaki just a few hours ago.

Something suddenly hit her.

"Wait a minute." Sakura went deep into thought. "Could it be...?"

Her unexplained A+ on that extremely difficult history exam was definitely luck. Fifty multiple choice questions, all of which she had no clue what the answers were, and all of which she got the answers correct. She tracked back and thought of all the things she did today leading up to this very moment. The only thing out of the ordinary was running into Naruto Uzumaki, and kis-

Sakura shook her head violently.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." she desperately wanted to scream. Why did it have to be him of all people?

The biggest loser in school...

Then the image of her cherry red convertible being sold to the likes of someone else entered her mind.

That's when she came to a decision.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." she whispered his name demonically.

And then she stood up, looking at nothing in particular with determination in her eyes. No matter what the consequences, she will get her grades up, and finally be reunited with her convertible!

"...you're mine."

* * *

_A/N: Well there's the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and tell me what you think :)_


	2. So Damn Confused

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Two: So Damn Confused

* * *

Naruto couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday.

That Haruno girl kissed him out of nowhere!

If this had happened back in first grade, he would have been the happiest boy alive. He had such a crush on her back then...

But now, Naruto Uzumaki disliked her with a passion.

He never imagined his first kiss would be with _her _after what happened so long ago. In fact, he never imagined a first kiss at all after that witch broke his heart. Sakura Haruno was his first and last crush up until now. It made him even angrier knowing she tasted like cherries!

He loved cherries.

Emphasis on _loved_. Naruto made a mental note to himself: stop eating cherries and convert to...

strawberries.

Thoughts like this plagued his mind as he walked to school. He stopped halfway and leaned against the brick wall where it all happened. For a few minutes he tried to think of explanations as to why he had such a stupid crush on her anyway. Well, the fact that she was the cutest girl in elementary school and that ALL the boys liked her was one thing. Other than that, she's nothing but mean, bossy, superficial and conceited.

Naruto snorted rather loudly; he should have realized that sooner. He was blinded by her cuteness, and after she completely screwed him over, he promised himself he would never fall for physical beauty ever again.

"_Um. Hi, Naruto._"

The blue eyed boy nearly choked.

Speak of the she-devil...

Sakura stood several feet across of Naruto, looking unusually nervous. Apparently she had been waiting by this particular brick wall for quite a while now.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" Did she come to verbally harass him? Weird. Her usual routine usually consisted of ignoring his existence. She left the harassment to the rest of the student body.

"Er...about yesterday..." she started uneasily.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what happened. Wouldn't want to ruin your precious reputation." he said spitefully and attempted to walk away.

"That's not what I meant to say!" Sakura quickly exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks. Although she truly didn't want anyone to know what happened...

All of a sudden, he realized something. "Wait a minute. School started two hours ago. You waited here for nearly two hours just to tell me something."

Sakura was a little offended by that statement. She waits for no one. Well, Naruto was an entirely different case. "That sounds a lot worse than it is. But yeah."

Waiting for an explanation, Naruto stood there silently with his arms crossed.

"I just want to..." Sakura looked at his lips with curiosity in her eyes, which caused Naruto to look at her suspiciously. "...see if this works."

Naruto was way beyond confused. He didn't realize he was backing away as she moved in towards him. When his back finally touched the brick wall again, his eyes widened as Sakura's face moved closer and closer to his.

He could feel her breath.

"Whoa! Hold up! What do you think you're doing!" he raised both his hands in front of Sakura's face to stop her from coming any nearer.

She slapped his hands away and growled at him. "Just hurry and kiss me! I need to know if this works!" her eyes blazed with determination.

"WHAT THE FU-!"

Naruto ducked before Sakura would lay one on him.

Her lips met with the brick wall and she quickly turned around to see Naruto slowly backing away from her in horror. "Oh no. She's had a taste of me, and now she wants more." he said to himself, attempting to make a run for it.

"Will you just be still and let me kiss you! Third period starts in ten minutes and I'm late enough as it is!" yelled Sakura.

Just when Naruto was about to make a break for it, Sakura forced herself on him, grabbing his face with both hands and pulling him in for a kiss.

Their lips met once again.

Naruto struggled to free himself; her hold was just too strong. Was she some kind of superhuman freak? Sakura literally shoved his face away when she felt she was through with him and quickly got back on her feet. Feeling the adrenaline pulse through in her body, she ran for it without even realizing she was going in the _wrong_ direction.

"_Hahahahahaha_!"

Naruto heard her laugh all the way down the street.

His eyes were wide open and he stood frozen in shock as Sakura ran in the direction that _obviously_ wasn't Konoha High.

"Fuck." he gaped after her. "She tasted like strawberries."

* * *

What luck!

Sakura observed carefully through the glass window of her next class, and it seems like the teacher didn't start the quiz yet.

After about five minutes of running, Sakura found herself back in her neighborhood, therefore realizing she had gone the wrong way. Well, sixteen tardies didn't really make a difference to her, but she knew Tsunade would probably be on her case again. Sakura hoped getting an A on her math quiz would lighten the case, even by a little. She had high hopes, especially after kissing that outcast for the second time.

"This better work." she muttered under her breath. "If not, then my life really is over." Because she kissed the biggest loser she's ever known...TWICE! And the second time on her own free will!

Sakura slowly and quietly opened the door while watching Asuma lecture and scribble nonsense on the chalkboard.

Searching the room for an empty seat, she found one next to Hinata and grinned to herself. Hinata, along with everyone else, saw Sakura trying to sneak her way into class. They kept their mouths shut and pretended to be interested in Asuma's teaching. Hinata mouthed 'Hurry up' and Sakura gave her a nod. She went down on all fours and began crawling silently to the empty seat.

"Sakura, you're late again." Asuma retorted bluntly, still writing on the board.

CRAP! and she was halfway there.

She gave him a innocent smile and hastily picked herself up. "I have a good explanation for this." she retorted defensively.

"Uh huh." Asuma rolled his eyes. "Take a seat. The quiz starts in five minutes."

Sakura threw herself in the chair next to Hinata and sighed in relief. The purple haired girl looked at her friend with shame and shook her head.

"What?"

"Tsunade's going to have a fit."

"Not when she finds out I got an A on my math quiz." Sakura smiled, yet not entirely with confidence.

Hinata frowned. "Did you even study?"

"Well, a little. But you know I never understand math."

"What makes you so sure you're going to get an A?"

Sakura took in a deep breath.

She wasn't sure at all.

* * *

Naruto stumbled backwards, managing to hold himself. One of his eye was heavily bruised and a drop of blood trickled down his lip.

"Is that all you got-"

This time he fell painfully on the stone-hard floor after he felt the brutal impact against his face. After a bit of groaning, he sat up, leaning his right arm against his knee, and wiping away the blood with his thumb. Naruto looked up and found himself surrounded by five dark figures.

"Trying to sneak into school when classes started hours ago, huh?" said the boy who just punched him.

Another boy cracked his knuckles and smirked. "I think somebody needs to teach this guy a lesson."

Naruto stared at them for a while and scoffed out loud. "If class started hours ago, what the fuck are you guys doing here?" he said. "Maybe you should all teach _yourselves_ a lesson." He grunted painfully when somebody kicked him in the stomach.

"S-Shut up!" said one of the boys.

Oh how Naruto hated jocks...

The boy attempted to kick Naruto a second time, until a familiar voice from afar was heard shouting violently at them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Everyone turned to the source and found Tsunade walking haughtily toward them. The boys looked terrified once they caught sight of the burning rage in her eyes.

Except Naruto. He was just really annoyed with the entire situation.

The boys who beat Naruto made no attempt to conceal their fear when the Principal finally closed in on them. Tsunade looked down to see Naruto's face bruised and bleeding. She then snapped her head at the rotten gangster-wannabes.

They quickly backed away.

"Somebody better tell me what happened here." she growled angrily. No one answered. "Or else." she added demonically.

"It was him!" the boy who threw the first punch pointed frantically at Naruto. "He started it!"

"Yeah! We were just minding our own business, but Naruto got all crazy and tried to fight us!" said one of the boys.

"We had to protect ourselves!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at them, but made no attempt to defend himself.

Tsunade didn't seem like she was convinced. "Don't you dare lie to me." she hissed.

"NO! Honestly we're not-"

"Suspension for two weeks, and detention two more weeks after that!" Tsunade roared. The gang of boys coward fearfully. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

They all scattered away quickly, leaving Naruto sitting up quietly by himself.

Tsunade looked down on him with weary eyes. "In my office. Now."

* * *

The blond haired boy gently placed a pack of ice against his eye and sighed gratefully when the pain began to recede. Tsunade let out a sigh herself. She carefully looked at Naruto and shook her head.

"I don't understand, Naruto." she began, gaining his attention. "Why don't you ever defend yourself?"

Naruto blinked.

"I saw everything." she replied.

_About fifteen minutes ago:_

_Tsunade pretended she was doing paperwork, because if not, her assistant would be all over her ass. _

_Shizune. _

_Tsunade sincerely loved her like a daughter, but she's so damn bossy! She could never catch a break. _

_"Tsunade-sama, I'm going to xerox some papers. I'll be back in a a few minutes." Shizune announced._

_"Take your time!" Tsunade faked a smile._

_Shizune wasn't convinced. "I'll be back as fast as I can." she said knowing very well Tsunade was a slacker. _

_When her dark haired assistant was out of sight, Tsunade abandoned her fake smile and replaced it with a sneaky smirk. She quickly stood up and faced her window, pulling a flask out of her sleeve. She opened it and inhaled the smell of sweet, sweet alcohol. Just when she was about to take a sinful sip, her eyes caught a blond haired boy sloppily dressed in his school uniform. Tsunade tsked and shook her head disappointingly._

_"Late again, Uzumaki." she muttered._

_As he made his way towards the building, out came a group of five boys surrounding him. Seemingly jocks. Everyone knew jocks ruled the school. _

_Tsunade noticed they were making conversation with Naruto, and a conversation with Naruto usually meant 'trash talking'. Naruto merely stood there without a response, and that's when she witnessed one of the boys punching him directly in the face. _

_She quickly gulped down some alcohol and slipped it back into her sleeve before hastily making her way towards the scene._

_Presently:_

Naruto's eyes followed a fly buzzing around the office.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.

"HEY, PAY ATTENTION!"

He snapped out of his trance and scratched the back of his head. "Uh. What were you saying again?"

Tsunade sighed. "Naruto, I know you can defend yourself. After all, Jiraiya made you take self-defense lessons. So why do you hold back?"

Naruto acted like he was surprised. "Wow. I didn't know you _encourage_ violence, baa-chan! If I'd known that-"

"I'm serious, you little brat." she mentally waved a fist at him. "And I told you a million times not to call me that!"

The blue eyed boy shrugged. "What's the point?"

"..."

"I mean, people beat me up everyday-"

"Everyday?" Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.

"Okay, well not _everyday_. Usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays for some reason. But anyway, I'm tired of defending myself." he lifted up his feet and placed them on Tsunade's desk, leaning lazily against his chair (which annoyed her greatly). "I decided to just let it come." said Naruto casually, as if nothing mattered.

The big-chested woman looked at him sadly, but quickly shook it off and swatted his feet off her desk.

"All right. Get to class." she excused him. "You already have about a hundred tardies." that wasn't an exaggeration.

Naruto lifted himself up and began walking away. For a second, he stopped at the door, and Tsunade wondered what was wrong. He turned to face Tsunade with a sheepish grin on his face. "What class am I supposed to be in now?"

That didn't surprise Tsunade. The only reason he came to school at all was to pull pranks on people. She wondered how he ever became a senior this year.

'_Luck, I guess._' she inwardly shrugged. "Math class with Asuma. Room 110."

"Right." he waved a hand. "See ya later, Tsunade baa-chan!"

Naruto quickly escaped the room before Tsunade would throw something at his head.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe it.

Asuma collected all the quizzes and corrected them right away, which is what he normally does. After he corrects it, he passes it out to the owner so he/she would learn from their mistakes.

Sakura stared at the grade on her quiz and gaped. Was this some kind of mistake? Was Asuma toying with her or something? She continued to look stupidly at the quiz she had just taken; she couldn't believe her eyes.

Apparently, Hinata couldn't either.

"A+." she was completely flabbergasted. "B-But how?"

Sakura shrugged.

Although deep down inside she knew exactly how.

The image of blond hair, blue eyes, and weird tattoo whiskers entered her mind.

That boy had a power.

The power to bring her good grades with the touch of his lips!

Sakura had never been so amazed in her life. She NEVER received an A in math. She was helpless against the subject. The highest Sakura ever got in math was a C! Naruto Uzumaki's power corrupted her. She needed more! Not only was it math, she needed help in all subjects: science, spanish, history, even gym for goodness sake! And why the hell did she sign up for Spanish? Two full quarters trying to learn the language and she still didn't understand a damn word of it!

The girl casted a glare at Sasuke Uchiha because obviously it was all his fault. Before he came into her life, she had the best grades in school. Now she's lazy and is willing to do anything BUT study. Now her only hope was to receive good grades through...Naruto's...lips...

Shiver.

"Well, look who decided to show up today."

Sakura turned her attention to Asuma, who turned his attention to a boy with whisker tattoos leaning against the frame of the door.

Shiver. Shiver.

She was so lost. Why did it have to be him of all people!

Asuma looked pleasantly surprised. "Let's celebrate, everyone!" he announced. "The great Naruto finally decided to grace us with his presence." he said with a smirk.

Everyone groaned when Naruto confidently stepped inside.

"Asuma-sensei, I prefer being addressed as 'The _Amazing_ Naruto' if you don't mind." the boy grinned slyly, walking to the farthest seat in the classroom.

Asuma grinned back. "Yeah, yeah. Pull out a pencil; you're gonna take the quiz you just missed."

Naruto looked at him in grief. "Whaaaaat?"

"Unless you want to stay in after class for being late."

"Can I borrow a pencil?"

As soon as Asuma handed him the quiz, Naruto had a strange feeling somebody was staring at him. He lifted his eyes for a moment and saw green eyes staring intensely at his crystal blue's. He quickly looked down on his quiz, lost in confusion. And it wasn't because the math questions were like a different language to him.

Was she trying to mess with his mind or something?

Why him all of a sudden?

There's definitely a dirty trick she's hiding up her sleeve.

But why now?

What happened to the good old days when she used to pretend he didn't exist?

Again, he slowly lifted his blue eyes. And quickly looked back down again.

SHE'S STILL STARING AT HIM!

Naruto couldn't completely analyze the look in her eyes, but he saw a bit of confusion in there.

Well join the club, he's confused too!

However, he also saw something that looked like greed...

Greed for what? What could he possibly have that she wants!

Any guy in this damned school would be jumping for joy knowing a girl like Sakura Haruno only had eyes for him, but not Naruto

because he knew deep inside her heart was evil!

So what was she planning?

Before he would finally start the quiz, he bravely lifted his head once again to look at _green._

Naruto threw Sakura a glare, letting her know he was on to her.

* * *

Sasuke didn't exactly know what was wrong with Sakura. As of lately, she's been acting very strange.

Of course he assumed it was because of the breakup. She was hopelessly in love with him, as many are...

Still, this wasn't the reaction he was used to. The girls he dated usually stalked him (forever), and tried to kill the other girls that got in their way. Although he did notice Sakura staring at him on a few occasions...it actually looked more like glares. At first he thought she was _angrily_ obsessed with him, and he may be right. But there was a bit of doubt there.

And then he caught her staring at that stupid Uzumaki kid.

Now that really confused him.

It wasn't a loving stare,

or an obsessive stare,

not even a hateful stare...

He wasn't sure what it was, but it bothered him a lot. He'd have to keep an eye her,

and that loser, Uzumaki.

* * *

On his way home, Naruto thought he had a pretty successful day. He got to prank two teachers without either of them knowing, and he was surprised when the basketball team didn't know he was the one who inflated all their balls. Naruto laughed out loud by the time he reached the street he lived on.

The only thing that unsatisfied him was his conflict with Haruno. Staring at him all period long in class was one thing, but tracking him down and forcing him to kiss her this morning was just plain creepy!

He was so damn confused!

Naruto was certain she held absolutely no feelings for him. She didn't even like him a little! Not even as a friend.

Not that he would ever accept her as a friend anyway.

"_Naruto!_"

Aw shiiiiit.

He stopped in his place and felt an evil aura walking near him.

Yup, it was definitely the devil.

And hey! She didn't even have the decency to say 'hi' this time. How rude...

Slowly turning around, he found the pink haired girl standing behind him with much more confidence than she had this morning. It was as if she had confirmed something...

"W-What do you want?" Naruto cleared his throat realizing he was stuttering. He opened his mouth again, but nothing came out.

Sakura didn't waste any time. "Listen. I just want to make one thing clear."

She sounded dead serious.

"Huh?" he was so damn confused!

Sakura crossed her arms and glared at him. "From now on, I don't want you kissing anyone but **ME**. Got that?" her voice was venomous.

The wind blew heavily that day. The sky darkened. The wolves somewhere out there howled. Naruto's jaw literally fell.

"Huh?" The poor boy stood there frozen.

"If I find out you so much as _pecked_ a girl, you will die. Understood?" she threatened.

"HUH?"

* * *

_A/N: Well, there's the second chapter! I just want to thank all the people who gave my story a chance and to those who reviewed! reviews are very much appreciated :D Merry Christmas! _


	3. The Popular Girl Attacks

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Three: The Popular Girl Attacks

* * *

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning and the perfect time to be in school.

However, Naruto sat quietly on the ground of his apartment room; he was in no mood to go to school today and cause trouble. Although, deep down inside, he knew he was actually going out of his way to avoid a certain pink haired girl.

That bitch was crazy.

Naruto checked the time and sighed.

8:30 a.m.

She should already be in class.

KNOCK KNOCK

Naruto exhaled the breath he had been holding in out of relief and picked himself up. As he walked to the door, he laughed to himself, wondering why he was so afraid of such a small, pathetic girl anyway. He turned the knob and opened the door with a wide smile on his face.

The smile disappeared when he saw the devil standing right in front of him.

Naruto mentally screamed.

Why won't she just leave him alone!

Sakura Haruno clenched her fists, looking at him in fury. "Do you know how long I waited for you at that stupid brick wall?" she looked deadly as ever. "Because of you I have the seventeenth tardy this year!"

"That pales in comparison to my hundre-"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Naruto stepped back looking over her suspiciously. "Wait a minute. How do you know I live here?"

Sakura let out an irritated breath. "How do you think? I secretly followed you here yesterday because I knew one day something like this would happen." she eyed him darkly.

Naruto gaped. "You mean...you _stalked_ me?"

She ignored that awful statement that would have made her throw up. "I have a Spanish test today, so lets get this over with." she quickly walked over to the extremely confused boy.

"Wait!" he said, holding his hands up for protection. "Why are you doing this!"

"Hold still. This'll only take a second."

"No! I want an explanation."

"I said hold still!"

Sakura tried to jump on him, but Naruto was quicker and hid himself behind the couch.

"Why are you trying to rape my lips!"

"It's none of your business!"

"My lips! My business!"

Sakura chased him all over the room while Naruto threw objects behind himself to keep her from attacking him.

"Stop! JUST STOP!" demanded Naruto.

Both Konoha students stopped in their tracks trying to catch a breath. Naruto held his arms in front of her just in case she tried to do anything sneaky.

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going to tell everyone you're in love with me." he threatened, hoping to god it works.

It didn't seem like it. "Oh yeah right. Who in their right mind would believe you?" she rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"If you're gonna be attacking me like this everyday, I think I deserve a good explanation." he reasoned with her, yet still in a state of shock.

For a moment they stood there in silence.

Naruto still held himself up defensively, and Sakura looked like she was clearly deep in thoughts.

If she told him she discovered he had the power of luck with the touch of his lips, she didn't exactly know how he would react. If Naruto was just an average, teenage, hormonal boy, he'd abuse that power to kiss all the pretty girls in the world! Although Sakura had a strange feeling deep in her gut: he didn't seem average at all. Outcasts like him are never average. Should she take a chance? It would be extremely exhausting trying to force herself on Naruto every single day; she just didn't have that kind of energy. Maybe, just maybe if she explained her actions, he would give in and make life a lot easier for her.

"Okay. Let's just take a seat and I'll tell you what's going on." she calmly negotiated.

Naruto still looked defensive.

"Oh stop acting like an idiot! I'm not going to attack you." She scoffed at his stupidness and sat herself on the couch.

Straightening himself up, he slowly walked to the couch and grudgingly sat himself down...waaay on the opposite end.

"I'm all ears." he eyed her carefully, as if she were going to jump him any second.

Sakura stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. She was a little embarrassed. "There's actually something I want to know first..."

"And what's that?"

Naruto watched as Sakura moved uneasily in her spot. "Have you ever kissed anyone? Besides me of course."

He looked completely flabbergasted. "None of your business!" he mentally waved a fist at her. A small blush appeared on his face.

Sakura guessed that was a no. "Fine, fine, stupid question."

"Damn straight! Now tell me what's going on. Why are you of all people trying to kiss me every morning?"

The girl sighed. "Well, it all started when I crashed into you and we accidentally kissed."

That fateful Monday was permanently burned and scarred into Naruto's memory. "Y-Yeah. So what?"

"After that happened, I was forced to take a history exam in Kakashi-sensei's class, but I didn't even study! I had no idea what any of the answers were."

"What's your point?" Naruto raised a dubious eyebrow.

"So after I took the test, Tsunade called me into her office. She assumed I cheated because I ended up getting an A+."

"Okaaaaaay."

"But actually, it's all because of _you_." she looked up at the blond boy with a spark of hope in her eyes.

She was really starting to freak him out. "Whoa, whoa, hold up." he quickly stood up and backed away from her, realization suddenly hitting him. "So you think _kissing_ me is going to make your grades better?"

Sakura grinned. "I'm glad you're not as stupid as you look."

"You're crazy!"

"I'm not crazy. You're a walking, living **lucky charm**." she said in pure confidence.

Naruto looked down at her pathetically. "After all these years, you still believe in that crap?"

Sakura threw him a distraught look, but grudgingly held herself back from insulting him. "So are you going to let me kiss you or what?" she said impatiently.

For a second, he looked like he was carefully considering it.

NOT

"Get outta my apartment, crazy psycho bitch!"

All of a sudden, Sakura felt surprisingly strong arms pick her up. Naruto threw her over his shoulder and began walking.

"Hey, let me down!" Sakura pounded his back furiously.

Naruto did as she said, and dropped her right outside his door. "You better hurry and get to class! You don't wanna miss failing that Spanish test, right?" he smirked deviously and slammed his door shut in her face.

Sakura fumed.

She definitely hated that boy!

But she'll be sure to get him next time.

* * *

"Hey, Neji. I DARE you to ask her out."

A boy with long, dark brown hair peacefully ate his lunch. "I'm not going to ask out anyone who's been with _Uchiha_." he said spitefully.

"Aw, stop making excuses." Kiba, a boy with red fang tattoos on both cheeks, elbowed Neji teasingly. "You're just scared."

Neji ignored the comment, although he couldn't help but look over at the girl with unusual pink hair. She was surrounded by her usual group of friends, eating peacefully five tables across of himself.

"If you ask Sakura out, I'll take a shot at your pretty little cousin." Kiba casted a look full of longing at Hinata Hyuuga.

"Like you actually have a chance." said another boy with long, spiky black hair tied in a ponytail.

Kiba snarled. "Shikamaru, you're just jealous 'cause I have a better chance with Hinata than you do with _Ino_." he almost laughed when the spiky haired boy nearly fell out of his chair.

"Shikamaru doesn't have time for stuck up girls like them." an overweight boy defended, looking over at the most talked about group of girls in school.

"I guess the same doesn't go for you. I see you staring at them all the time, Chouji." said a mysterious, bushy haired figure.

"S-Shino! That's not true." Chouji crossed his arms and embarrassingly looked away. "I don't stare at them ALL the time."

A boy with bushy eyebrows stood up hastily with determination in his eyes. "I don't care which girl any of you stare at!" his smile showed off his radiant white teeth. "But Sakura Haruno is off limits!"

No one even bothered to tell him that was more impossible than Shikamaru dating Ino,

or Chouji getting a girlfriend less fatter than him.

Neji silently scoffed and continued to eat his lunch. He didn't quite understand what the male population in this school saw in that certain group of girls. He lifted his eyes once again to see Sakura Haruno bite the bottom of her soft, plump, glossy lip...

The white eyed boy cleared his throat.

Well, maybe he understood a little.

"Let's just get straight to the fact and be done with this stupid conversation." Shikamaru retorted. "Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata are the four most unreachable girls this school, or possibly this whole city has to offer. Guys like us don't have a chance in hell. In fact, the day **Naruto Uzumaki** makes a friend is the day one of those girls actually makes an effort to give us a 'hey' and be on their merry way. We don't even have a chance in our _imaginations_, so let's find girls that are actually a little closer in OUR league and stop kidding ourselves." he finished telling his friends the bitter and ugly truth.

They all looked down in disappointment, but knew he was right.

"Goddesses like them are purely meant for the gods." stated Shino.

Their eyes instantly fell on a raven haired boy eating lunch by himself. As always, he ignored all the obsessed stares of girls and boys alike.

'_Sasuke Uchiha._' they thought simultaneously,

and a bit resentfully.

The boys remembered when the four goddesses competed for the affections of Sasuke Uchiha, quite possibly the hottest guy in the world. It was friendly competition; no stabs in the back or dirty tricks. And in the end, Sakura Haruno won his heart. There were no hard feelings afterwards, and obviously they remained friends.

"I still don't see what all the fuss is about." Neji retorted. "Besides his looks (and even I can admit that), what's the big deal?" he watched the drooling female population stare obsessively at Sasuke as he chomped on an apple.

Shikamaru grunted, lazily picking at his broccoli. "You see, Neji, Sasuke is what you would call 'cool'. And everyone knows girls chase after the cool guys." he said knowledgeably.

"Pfft! So you're saying all I have to do is be a heartless bastard and I can get all the chicks I want?" Kiba sarcastically remarked.

"In order for that to happen, you'd need to at least look HALF as good as Sasuke." Shino stated bluntly and as a matter of fact.

"Shut up!"

"What I don't understand," said Lee, ignoring all the banter. "is why Sasuke dumped such a youthful cherry blossom such as Sakura-san."

They all wondered in silence.

"Either Uchiha's an idiot," Neji secretly glared at the raven haired god. "or he thinks he's better than her."

The latter seemed more believable.

* * *

Sakura muttered curses under her breath, not even bothering to eat the lunch her friends treated her to...again.

"Hey." Tenten nudged Ino and Hinata. "Is it me, or does Sakura look a little depressed?" she whispered secretly to them.

"No duh, Sherlock Homey." Ino rolled her eyes.

"It's...ugh never mind." Tenten didn't have it in her to correct Ino. "I think the break up is really taking its effect on her." she whispered in concern.

Their friend actually looked more irritated than she did depressed, but at this point, concerning the famous Uchiha, they couldn't tell the difference.

"Poor Sakura." Hinata's sympathetic eyes followed Sakura's frown. "Any ideas on how to make her feel better?"

Ino shrugged. "Hey, if Sasuke Uchiha broke up with me, I'd be devastated and cryin' over a bucket of ice cream."

"Sakura?" Tenten finally called out.

The pink haired girl broke out of her trance and forced a smile. "Sorry, guys. How long was I out?" she smiled sheepishly.

"For quite a while now." Hinata smiled sadly at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sakura shrugged. "Except I just found out I did really bad on Kurenai-sensei's test today. When she looked over my work, she gave me a really disappointed look." she said in distress. "I knew I should've forced him to kiss me when I had the chance." she muttered secretly to herself. "Oh, by the way, thanks for lunch. I keep forgetting my wallet at home for some reason." she smiled, attempting to completely devour her food. "Oops. I forgot the ketchup. I'll be right back." getting up from her seat, Sakura casually walked away.

The girls looked at her with even more concern.

"This is worse than I thought. She's hiding her emotional pain through school work!" Tenten looked very exasperated.

"Of all things." Hinata watched her friend standing patiently in the ketchup line. "We know she doesn't have the slightest care about school and her grades whatsoever."

"And she knows we know that!" Ino aggressively took a bite out of her french fry.

"I guess Sasuke really gave it to her, huh?" Tenten sighed sadly.

"That devilishly handsome monster." Ino muttered.

"As best friends, it's our job to make sure she gets over him." said a determined white eyed girl.

Ino gave her a nod. "Agreed."

"Right." said Tenten. "But how?"

The blond one in the group smirked. "Isn't it obvious? The only way to get over a man is to get _another_ man."

Hinata shot her an unconvincing look. "I highly doubt that."

Ino tsked her. "I don't expect you to understand, Hinata. You never had a boyfriend." she stated truthfully, as the purple haired girl blushed.

"You never had a boyfriend either, Ino." Tenten snorted.

"Well I watch a lot of soap operas, so I think I should at least know what it's like!" Ino bashfully defended herself. "Besides, we can't all be man-haters like you, Tenten. Hinata, Sakura, and I aren't **lesbians**."

Tenten flushed. "I told you to never say that in public!"

"Whatever! Look, I'm only thinking about Sakura's well-being."

"And hooking her up with a boy when she just got dumped by one is going to help her?" the brunette glared.

"Yes. Yes it will." Ino stuck out her tongue immaturely.

Hinata purposely got up and sat herself between the two girls before they would start tearing each other apart. "So who do you have in mind, Ino?" she interrupted before Tenten would make a nasty retort.

The pretty blond girl shrugged. "I don't know. Umm, maybe..." she started, searching for a suitable male in the cafeteria. "Oh, gosh. This would be a lot easier if the boys in our school were actually cute." she pouted when she couldn't find a single guy to fill the hole in Sakura's broken heart. Suddenly, her eyes widened when they fell upon a certain dark haired boy. "Ooo! Ooo! Ooooooo!" she tried not to point.

"What!" Tenten nearly slipped out of her seat when Ino abruptly shouted in her ear.

"Get this." Ino smirked proudly. "Neji Hyuuga."

Hinata frowned. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Oh, come on! He's probably the best looking guy in our school behind Sasuke. Plus he's smart, he's respectful, he's perfect!" Ino argued.

Both Tenten and Hinata still looked unsure.

"Well, that's true. Even though he does hang out with a bunch of weirdos..." Tenten casted a glance at one of her classmate, Lee, and his bushy eyebrows.

She shuddered.

Hinata watched her cousin, who was seemingly engaged in a serious conversation with his friends, and shook her head. "No. That's really not a good idea."

"Why not?" Ino pouted. She thought Neji was perfect!

"He's basically another Sasuke Uchiha." The white eyed girl explained. "Perhaps a little more social and a little less stoic, but he definitely comes close."

Ino grumbled under her breath. "Fine, we'll cross Neji off the list."

The search continued.

"Oh!" Tenten's brown eyes caught a certain boy sketching underneath the shade of a tree. "How about Sai?"

Hinata considered this. "Well, he is very handsome."

"Almost as much as Sasuke." Ino nodded her head thoughtfully. "He's also smart."

"And a very talented painter." Hinata added.

"Plus he's pretty nice." reminded Tenten.

"Although..."

"He seems a little _fake_ to me."

"And he does have the tendency to bad-mouth people."

The girls looked at each other in defeat.

"Good boyfriends are so hard to find these days." Ino sighed.

"Like you'd even know." Tenten scoffed.

"Lesbian."

"Boyfriend-less."

Hinata sighed, forced to listen to their endless banter.

* * *

After lunch, Sakura headed straight to her next class.

She couldn't help but wonder why her friends acted so weird when she got back from the ketchup line.

What were they hiding?

Then it hit her!

"Noooo. How could they possibly know?" she pounded a fist into her hand.

Somehow they knew she was secretly hiding the fact that she had been kissing Naruto for luck in order to get A's on her tests.

"I should have been more subtle." she cursed herself.

As soon as the bell rang, Sakura leaned against the wall of the abandoned corridors, obviously not concerned with class at the moment.

"Hey, Sakura!" she heard one of her classmates shouting and running towards her. "Why are you just standing here? You're going to be late for class!" the girl warned her. "You definitely don't wan to miss Iruka-sensei's class this time."

Sakura didn't seem to care. "Why's that, Shiho?"

The girl pushed her glasses up with an index finger and looked at Sakura with disappointment in her eyes. "We have a quiz on blood cells today! Section two. I thought you knew."

The emerald eyed girl snapped back to reality. "Are you serious! Another quiz? Why can't I ever catch a break? Every fuckin' day." she grumbled, tempted to bash her head against the lockers and end her life.

"I don't know, but I overheard Iruka-sensei talking to Tsunade-sama in the office yesterday. He said if you fail one more test, he's going to have to fail you for the whole year. Which means..." Shiho shifted uneasily.

"_Summer schoo_l." Sakura looked devastated.

Her life was over.

Well, it was decided. Sakura didn't have any more time to waste.

"Thanks, Shiho!" she smile gratefully at the glasses-wearing girl and started to run.

"W-Wait! You're going the wrong way!" Shiho watched helplessly as Sakura ran in the opposite direction of Iruka's class.

* * *

A mischievous blue eyed boy sat next to a box full of horse manure, a rope extending about fifty feet, and toilet paper he 'borrowed' from the girl's bathroom. Don't even ask how he got the horse manure. He wasn't quite sure how to go about with these three objects, but he needed to be clever. Whatever prank he was going to pull of today must be well thought out and absolutely hilarious. He immediately pictured the image of Tsunade baa-chan as the target.

No, too easy.

Perhaps Kakashi-sensei?

Nah, even easier.

Naruto Uzumaki stared at the objects next to him and frowned. "What the hell am I supposed to do with horse shit, rope, and toilet paper anyway?"

Today was not a good day. His brain wasn't functioning well enough to think up of brilliant pranks.

Especially after that **witch **completely fried it this morning.

Her kiss was like a curse or something.

"_I thought I'd find you here_."

That voice was all too familiar.

'_Oh what now!_' Naruto shouted in his head, staring straight into emerald eyes.

"Of course you'd be here." she said throwing a glance at Tsunade's door. "Trying to think of a prank to pull on Tsunade, huh? You're starting to get really obvious." she insulted the number one most unpredictable kid of Konohagakure High.

Naruto looked angrily at her. "I'm not gonna kiss you, so you can just forget it!" he attempted to get up and leave. He faced Sakura to give her one last glare before he would walk away, but then he saw that familiar evilness in her shiny emerald eyes.

And he made a dash for it.

Unfortunately, Sakura knew this was coming and sprinted after him. Naruto didn't look back. He began to sweat nervously, very aware that she was closing in on him.

She was like some kind of speed demon!

He wouldn't be surprised if she really was a demon from hell, with that dark aura of hers...

Naruto came to a dead end and nervously tried to look for another way out.

"_Running away is useless_."

He nearly screamed in terror when he heard Sakura's voice behind him.

"Just leave me alone!" he turned to come face-to-face with his fears, backing up against the wall as she walked closer to him.

He was trapped. The only possible way to escape was to run straight towards her and hope she moves aside. As he was about to make a dash for it, she seemed to have caught on and made a dash towards him as well.

"Oomph!"

Sakura brutally tackled Naruto to the ground and pinned him down.

All of a sudden, he felt immense pressure attack his lips.

Oh, god...

"Mmmmmphmmph!" nobody could hear his muffled cry for help.

When Sakura was through with him, she ran to Iruka's class leaving a very shocked Naruto frozen stiff.

She hoped she wasn't too late.

"Section two quiz, here I come!" she grinned evilly, and laughed all the way down the corridor.

As soon as Naruto snapped out of his shock, he watched a pink blur run out of his sight.

Her kiss was as deadly as ever.

And this time it tasted like watermelons. Naruto concluded she owned a wide variety of flavored lip gloss.

"Curse you, Sakura Haruno."

* * *

Sakura slowly walked home after school in low spirits.

After she completed Iruka's test, she pretty much forced him to correct it then and there in front of her eyes. To her _unsurprised_ delight, she received an A+. Iruka was very pleased, but negatively told her if she failed one more test, she better get ready for summer school.

But that wasn't the thing that bummed her out.

After Iruka's class, she headed straight to Kakashi's. Surprise, surprise, a pop quiz! Sakura confidently took the quiz without the slightest fear,

and failed.

The silver haired joy kill called her in after class to discuss her poor grades. Like Iruka, he told her if she failed another test, or even a petty pop quiz, he would be forced to fail her for the entire year, and then,

summer school.

Sakura's head dropped.

And that also meant no cherry, red convertible! She seriously wanted to cry.

The moment she failed Kakashi's test was the moment realization hit her:

Naruto's kiss was only good for one test.

Her life just moved up an entirely new level of complicated.

Sakura had five classes a day: history with Kakashi, Spanish with Kurenai, math with Asuma, science with Iruka, and gym with Gai. Teachers always warn a student ahead of time when they're supposed to take the next test/quiz, but Sakura has the tendency to NOT pay attention, and that worried her. She is, after all, a professional daydreamer in class. However those damn pop quizzes just pop out of nowhere! Especially in Kakashi's class. Oh how she hated that man sometimes.

One kiss had the power to get her an A on ONE test.

The girl gagged when she realized she would have to kiss Naruto Uzumaki more than once a day...

FIVE times a day...

gag. gag. gag. gag. gag.

Although, Sakura imagined what it would be like if he actually **used** his tongue...

"Oh sick! SICK! I can't believe I just thought that!" she shook her head violently.

The kid's just a plain loser, and kissing the biggest loser Konoha High has to offer is the ultimate humiliation.

But then again, there was summer school...

and that was pretty humiliating. You either take summer school to receive more credits or because you failed a course. And seeing as how Sakura is currently a senior, going to summer school only meant she had failed. And not only one class...

Damn that Sasuke Uchiha! It's all his fault! He was definitely her greatest curse.

But that wasn't important right now.

'_What am I going to do? I really don't wanna go to summer school..._' she complained, feeling extremely displeased with her complicated situation.

She couldn't risk failures anymore. And it wasn't entirely because of summer school. Tsunade would be all over her ass if she failed senior year. And she could say 'bye-bye' to her cute, cherry, red convertible. She had so much to lose!

Not to mention it was very troublesome wasting so much energy trying to get Naruto to kiss her every morning. It would be even more troublesome trying to kiss him before every class without anyone finding out about it.

'_Argh! I hate my life!_' she mentally screamed. "But at least I know what to do now." she said grudgingly, sighing in contempt.

First thing's first.

She headed straight in the direction of Naruto's home.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you guys so much for reviewing! I LOVE THEM ALL! And I hope I got to answer most of your questions - the story is kind of a mystery, isn't it? LOL. Anyway, let's celebrate for another successful chapter! :D_


	4. Your Boyfriend's a Loser

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Four: Your Boyfriend's a Loser

* * *

Naruto didn't know what disturbed him more.

The fact that Sakura Haruno, the most beautiful, yet most horrifying girl he's ever known, was standing right across of him, outside of his apartment...

Or the fact that she just asked him to be her _boyfriend_.

"I don't think I heard you right-"

"Oh, shut up. Yes you did." she glared, revealing the impatience in her eyes.

"Well you're not gonna get a boyfriend with that attitude-"

"I don't have time for this, all right?" Sakura continued to glare at him. "If I'm not home by the time Tsuande is, she's gonna kill me. So are you going to be my boyfriend or what?"

The pressure was on.

Although Naruto already knew his answer. "I'm gonna say noooo." he said without any form of regret. "And I'm also gonna assume you only want me to be your boyfriend because of that weird luck thing you made up in your imagination. And even if it wasn't about that, I'd still choose to date a cucumber over you."

Sakure threw him a bizarre look.

"Because I hate cucumbers." he bluntly replied.

The girl simply rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Listen, I'm gonna level with you..."

Naruto raised his eyebrow when he noticed the strain in her voice.

"I..." she struggled to think of the right words. "...need you."

Time suddenly froze.

Sakura Haruno needed him? Naruto's eyes widened when she made that...unbelievable statement. Nobody ever needed him.

"Why?" this time he was serious.

"Because..." she started. "I can't pass this year without you."

Naruto leaned against the frame of the door with his arms crossed. "I don't get it. Why don't you just do what normal people in your situation would do: study."

Sakura sighed defeated. "I would, but I'm so distracted these days..."

Naruto found a small hint of sadness in her eyes. "Distracted by what?"

There was no answer.

Although deep down, Naruto knew exactly what distracted her. Everyone knew about Sasuke Uchiha breaking up with the most beautiful girl in school. Sakura could try and hide it all she wants; it was pretty obvious she was heartbroken.

Still, Naruto couldn't help but mentally criticize how emotionally weak she was.

"And Tsunade threatened to sell my car and then there's summer school and ugh!" Sakura stomped her foot like a child.

The blue eyed boy cringed. He knew all too well about the horrors of summer school...

"Fine." he muttered grudgingly, not entirely sure why he was going along with this.

Halting in her rampage, Sakura stared up at him (for he was quite tall) and gaped. "So you're really going to-"

"On one condition."

Oh, she knew there had to be a catch!

"Apologize to me." his tone was dead serious.

Sakura frowned at him. "What did I ever do to you?"

Naruto threw her a nasty look. "You mean besides ignoring my existence your entire life?"

She closed her mouth when she realized she was gaping again. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry." she imagined hitting his head with a shovel, and throwing his dead body into a sea of sharks.

He didn't look convinced. "Say it like you mean it." he demanded.

"Oh, come on, Naruto-"

The boy merely stood there with arms crossed, patiently waiting.

Sakura sighed. "I'm really, really, really sorry for ignoring you. I was stupid and shallow and I was only thinking of my reputation. I'm sorry." this time, she was sincere, so Naruto let it go.

"Apology accepted."

"Great!" Sakura smiled in accomplishment. "So I'll meet you tomorrow-"

"I wasn't finished." Naruto basically rained a parade on her victory.

Sakura looked at him in disbelief. "But I apologized-"

"I know. But that wasn't the apology I was looking for."

She looked thoroughly confounded.

"I wanted you to apologize for what you did to me back in the first grade." he frowned at her.

The pink haired girl eyed him. "What did I do?"

"Figure it out!" Naruto hastily slammed the door in her face, the second time today.

Sakura pounded on his door. "But I can't remember that far back!"

"If I can remember you can!" he shouted behind his door.

"Give me a break!"

"Not until you apologize!"

"I'm sorry!"

"You don't even know what you're apologizing for!"

"Arrggghh! You're such a dick!"

"That just makes me not want to be your boyfriend even more!"

Sakura kicked his door (which resulted a bruised toe) after realizing Tsunade was probably pacing in her room, thinking of ways to scold her when she gets home.

* * *

After mentally scaring Sakura to death, Tsunade forced her to stay in her room without any dinner. That was all fine with Sakura, she couldn't eat when so many things plagued her mind. She fell on her fluffy bed and lay comfortably on her stomach, deep in thought.

First grade...

Ugh!

What made that idiot think she could remember something that far back?

What exactly did she do to make him hold a grudge over her this long?

Was this the reason why he refused to be her boyfriend when so many others would give their right arm to be in his position?

Why was she thinking about this when she could use this time to study?

So many questions, so little time.

If she can't figure this out by tomorrow morning, her life will definitely be over. Sakura wasn't sure what kind of sick, mind-twisting test they had in store for her. If only she listened in class. Yet, there was still Kakashi's pop quizzes.

Think, Sakura, think!

She was completely stumped. There's absolutely no way she could remember one event in her life that happened over ten years ago. She couldn't even remember what she had for breakfast this morning...

Ino!

That name popped into Sakura's head the instant she knew she was in "deep shit". Ino had the best memory anyone could ever wish for! Perfect.

Sakura quickly speed dialed her friend's number on her cellphone and waited impatiently.

"_What's up, Sakura? I was just about to call you. I gots me some juicy gossip!_" the voice squealed scandalously. "_So you wanna know?_"

"Actually I called because I needed to ask you something...and yes, I wanna know." Sakura muttered lastly.

"_Ask away...and that Shiho-dork asked that Shikamaru-lazyass out, but he rejected her and my sources say she got drunk and completely tattooed her ass!_"

"What! No way! They seem like the perfect couple. What kind of tattoo did she - NO. This isn't why I called, Ino! There are more important things to discuss." Sakura pushed away the temptation and focused on the real situation.

She heard Ino gasp. "_Oh my gosh! So you already heard that Kiba-idiot tried to break into Hinata's room and steal her panties?_"

Sakura gasped too. "Oh hell no! Are you serious? Did Hinata-" Sakura literally slapped herself. "INO! This is important. I don't have time for gossip!"

"_That's very insulting, Sakura. It takes time and effort for me to get juicy stuff like this_."

After silently grumbling to herself, Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry."

"_That's all right._" Ino calmly replied. "_Now what's so important you had to interrupt my special time of gossip?_"

"Okay, so here's the thing." said Sakura. "You have the best memory I've ever known in a human being. You're almost supernatural."

"_True. What's your point?_"

"Well..." Sakura was hesitant. "I did something to Naruto Uzumaki that sorta pissed him off, right? All I know is that it happened in the first grade. What exactly did I do?"

"_Naruto Uzumaki? That weird-ass loser?_"

"That's him."

"_Ha! Nothin' much. Besides totally humiliating and ruining his life!_" Ino laughed. "_I mean, I've done some pretty mean stuff back in my day, but you went total crazy bitch on his ass! I remember you going out of your way to make sure EVERYBODY hated him._"

Sakura lay there completely lost. "Why would I do something like that?"

"_Oh goshness, Sakura. Did you really forget what happened? Memories like ruining somebody's life doesn't just disappear."_

"Come on, Ino. Tell me what happened." Sakura begged.

The girl on the other line sighed. "_Okay, well do you at least remember the day you lost that lucky charm of yours?"_

Sakura gasped. "Of course I do! I was devastated. That lucky charm was, like, my entire life."

"_And do you remember accusing Naruto of stealing that lucky charm?_"

Complete silence.

"_So anyway, sensei picked the three of us to stay in after class and clean the classroom. I remember the look on Naruto's face when he found out he was partnered with **Sakura-chyan**_." Ino teased. She didn't hear a response out of her green eyed friend, so then continued. "_And that's the last time you ever saw that lucky charm_. _Until, well, yeah._"

Mentally slapping herself, Sakura groaned into her pillow. "That's right. I figured you didn't steal it because you're my best friend, so I placed all the blame on Naruto."

"_Bingo!_"

"And that's when I told everyone to stay away from him because he was a thief and a liar."

"_Correct!_"

"And I started spreading nasty rumors about him."

"_Yup!_"

"And told people if they hung around him, I'd make their lives a living hell."

"_Wow that was harsh_." Ino continued to laugh nonetheless. "_But it worked. Because of you, Naruto's the most hated guy in school, not to mention he's never had a friend since then._"

Sakura lifted her head and found herself looking in the mirror with grief-stricken eyes. "I'm a monster."

"_A **pretty** monster._" her friend assured.

"I can't believe I did that! God, it's true what they say: children are cruel."

"_Amen to that._"

"I totally blamed him for something he didn't do-"

"_Totally._"

"when it was actually all YOUR fault!"

Ino fell silent for a moment. "_I thought we got passed this!_"

"In fifth grade I realized YOU were the one who stole my lucky charm, because I found it hidden away in the secret department of your Powerpuff girl backpack!"

"_Now that you brought it up, what were you doing looking into my personal stuff anyway?_"

She was ignored. "And poor, little Naruto took all the blame." Sakura looked away at the mirror in disgust. "I mean, who knows. Maybe if I wasn't such a little bitch back then, he'd actually be...popular."

Ino gasped. "_That's a lie!_"

Deep down, Sakura knew it was true. The students now only saw him as he was in first grade: a complete outcast she created with her evil, twisted, satanic mind. If Ino had confessed, and Naruto was excused from the blame, Sakura had no doubt in her mind the boy would be really popular.

First of all, he was quite handsome. Almost Sasuke Uchiha level of handsome, _almost_...and that's saying something.

Secondly, he's actually a pretty funny guy. His pranks are always hilarious! People just couldn't see it that way because they were only concerned about the **loser** behind those gut-busting pranks.

Lastly, his personality...he wasn't stoic and completely emotionless like Sasuke. And he wasn't annoying and hyperactive like he used to be. Naruto was pretty cool at times. Mix that in with a bit of jokster, and you got the perfect guy people would kill to befriend.

Sakura hung up without even realizing it (which would earn her suffering by the wrath of Ino tomorrow).

Her face fell solemnly into her hands. "He was alone all his life. And it's all my fault." she lifted herself up and looked at her window with determination in her eyes. "I have to apologize."

* * *

Naruto yawned and stretched his arms. He grudgingly got up from his bed and made his way to the door hearing someone knocking very loudly.

"Yeah, all right. I'm coming." he yawned again.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a girl with pink hair and glistening green eyes standing in front of him.

Naruto fully opened his eyes in bewilderment. "What are you doing here at this hour?" he lifted his head to look up at a clock hanging above the door. "It's almost 2:00 a.m." he grumbled.

"I have to hurry before Tsunade finds out I'm gone, but I just wanted to say-"

"Dammit Haruno! I was dreaming about ramen-"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't know if I can forgive you for ruining my perfect dream-"

"I'm sorry for what happened in the first grade."

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

Naruto almost didn't care that his perfect dream had been utterly ruined.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

"So, I guess you remembered, huh?" Naruto immediately caught the sad expression on her face. "Well, anyway, apology accepted."

Sakura blinked. Her frown deepened when she saw a grin appear on his face. "Really? That's it?"

The boy shrugged.

She just couldn't understand.

"Why do you forgive me so easily? I'd be furious! I don't blame you for hating me all this time."

"Hey, you genuinely apologized. How can I hate you for that?" he smiled reassuringly.

He sure was the number one most unpredictable guy Sakura has ever met. She was definitely wrong about him after all these years.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto grinned. "You already said that."

Sakura smiled at him. "Just wanted to say it again." Suddenly, a very sly smirk appeared on his lips. "So about the boyfriend thing..."

He almost forgot about that. Naruto gulped nervously. "Uh, yeah. I guess I'll have to go through with it now, huh?"

"Deal's a deal." Sakura held out a hand.

Naruto didn't know why, but he felt like he was making a deal with the devil. He stared into her eyes and saw an evil glint.

He WAS making a deal with the devil.

For a moment, he stood there watching the hand she offered. Naruto finally worked up the nerve and shook her hand in return.

Why did he have a very strange feeling that he was making a big mistake?

* * *

He couldn't believe he was doing this. If he were himself a week ago, he'd probably kill himself for doing something so reckless...

Reckless was his middle name, but this was an entirely higher level of recklessness!

Being Sakura Haruno's _pretend _boyfriend was no joking matter.

Naruto leaned against the brick wall where he first encountered her with his 'lucky' kiss. This is where they would officially meet from now on.

"Sorry I'm late." he heard a voice coming near him. Naruto turned his head to find a girl sloppily dressed in her uniform and out of breath. "I forgot to dress myself this morning, so I had to turn back."

A very small blush appeared on his face.

And Sakura immediately noticed this. "I wasn't naked, you know!"

"I-I know!" Naruto sputtered. Before Sakura said that, he actually did picture her naked. This time, his face burned furiously.

"Why would I go naked on the street!"' she imagined feeding him to the sharks again.

"I wouldn't be surprised, you DO kiss guys out of nowhere!"

"I only kissed you for the luck!"

For a while, they both looked away in embarrassment. Sakura interrupted the awkwardness with a cough. "So, are we going to school or what?"

"I still don't get it."

"Oh, what now?"

"Why do we have to pretend we're going out? I mean, wouldn't it be less embarrassing if I just secretly kissed you somewhere before every class?" he flushed at his words.

Sakura also flushed. "Because that would be too suspicious! Do you have any idea how many people follow me around all day?" Naruto was about to say how conceited that just sounded, but decided against it for the sake of their newly, somewhat dysfunctional friendship. "Of course it's going to be embarrassing, but pretending you're my boyfriend makes the situation a little more convenient." she continued to flush.

"What about your reputation?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I could scratch my butt in public and still be the most popular girl in school. Don't you worry about my reputation." she sternly patted his back.

Oh, how Naruto wanted to loudly point out her narcissism.

"So, are you ready?"

Naruto grumbled under his breath. "Yeah."

"Good."

Having already walked ahead of her, he almost didn't notice she wasn't following him.

He turned back and frowned. "What's the hold up?"

He heard her cough nervously and look at him, apparently very flustered. "Um. I was thinking maybe you could, er, _hold my hand_."

Naruto was absolutely dumbfounded. "You want to hold my hand?"

It looked like he offended her somehow. "It's completely logical! People will automatically assume we're dating when they see us holding hands and won't questions us as much. It makes life a hell of a lot easier."

"You sure like taking the easy way out of life." he threw her an odd look.

"Just take my hand." Sakura demanded.

He hesitantly offered her his hand, and she aggressively grabbed it.

As the two 'lovers' walked down the road, they felt expectantly uncomfortable.

"Gaaawd. Your hands are sweating a river." Naruto complained.

"That's all you, Sweaty McSweater." Sakura fired back.

"I see couples holding hands all the time. Still don't understand why. It's so fucking uncomfortable." his hand fidgeted.

"That's because we're not a real couple. People who are in love just..." Naruto waited for Sakura's answer, but she only looked away bitterly. "...it's just easier when you're in love."

He felt a little bad for bringing it up.

They continued walking until they were a few minutes closer to school.

"It's actually not that bad now. I think I'm getting the hang of it." Naruto assured her.

"Really?"

"I mean, your hands aren't so sweaty anymore so-"

"Oh stop trying to blame me for your inhuman hand sweating ability."

"_Denial_." he sang, throwing her a mischievous grin.

Sakura couldn't help but grin back.

* * *

Ino choked on her sugar-free granola bar.

"A-Are you sure?" Hinata stuttered in disbelief. "Maybe you heard wrong."

A girl in her junior year jumped with excitement. "That's what I thought too! But it's true, because I actually saw it myself-"

"That makes perfect sense." Ino interrupted her. "I knew something was off when Sakura called me to talk about _him_ of all people."

Hinata had a feeling this conversation should be private. "Do you mind?" she shooed the unwanted girl with her pearly eyes.

"I don't mind at all!" said the overjoyed junior. It was a dream come true for practically anyone to be in the same group as the four most popular girls in school. Her dream finally came true!

"She means leave, idiot." Ino glared at her.

Her dreams were crushed.

When Tenten felt sure the girl was out of hearing range, she huddled in. "So what's the scoop, Ino?"

Her blond friend didn't waste any time. "Okay, so Sakura calls me up at 1:00 in the morning-"

"What were you doing up at 1:00 on a school night?" Hinata asked curiously.

Ino glared at her friend for the interruption. "Ugh. That's so not important, but I was _studying_ for your information." she lied. She was actually reading Pokemon fanfiction online. "Gosh, Hinata. What's with the 411?"

Hinata looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry. Go on."

"Well anyway, so what happened was-"

"_Hey guys._"

The three of them froze.

Slowly turning around,

they found the rumor true.

Sakura towered over her friends raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Hey! Are you gossiping without me?" she accused. Their jaws dropped when they saw a certain someone's hand securely attached to their best friend. "Oh, you guys already know Naruto." she said nudging the boy attached to her. "We used to bad-mouth him a lot, remember?"

Naruto silently snorted.

"What's up." he greeted in a mutter, seeming very uncomfortable with his situation.

Her friends were apparently still in shock.

RRRIIIIIING!

"That's the bell. Guess I better get going." she walked away, pulling Naruto with her. "See you guys at lunch." she waved bye.

Tenten opened her mouth, but words were nonexistent. Even Ino, the chatterbox, didn't know what to say.

What did that loser do to their best friend!

* * *

A/N: thanks for the reviews! hope you enjoyed this chapter :) and just in case I ever forget, I have an announcement to make...after I update the fifth chapter (which will probably be in a week or two or three) I will officially begin the hiatus. I don't know when I'll update again...it won't be that long...I'm planning a three month hiatus...more or less...depending on how bored I am...I just need to focus on school right now.

aaaand yeah! that's about it


	5. Witness the Impossible

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Five: Witness the Impossible

* * *

Neji refused to believe what he was seeing. His eyes were clearly deceiving him.

Stupid, stupid eyes!

"Is that..." his stupid eyes widened with skepticism. "...Naruto Uzumaki?"

NO. It can't be!

"He's holding hands with-"

"DON'T YOU SPEAK BLASPHEMY!" shouted Kiba in defense. "It's a joke. It's all a joke." he tried to assure himself.

They watched as the so called Naruto Uzumaki walked passed them, hand in hand with the hottest girl in school...

Sakura Haruno.

This was definitely something big, HUGE.

Even Chouji stopped eating to gape stupidly.

"Poor Sakura-san!" Lee jumped out of nowhere. "She's being blackmailed! That's the only reasonable explanation! We must save her!"

Shikamaru carefully examined Sakura's expression, and then Naruto's. "I don't know. By the look on Uzumaki's face, you'd think HE was the one being blackmailed." He noticed the strain on the whiskered boy's face, while Sakura looked like she had _won_ something.

Man, this was so troublesome.

With a frown, Neji turned his gaze to the 'couple' and watched them stop in front of Kakashi's classroom. He noticed they both looked a little nervous for some odd reason.

"So, this means they're dating, right?" Shino questioned with a stoic expression.

Kiba wanted to strangle his bug-loving friend; he was very offended. "That's impossible! Why would Sakura, possibly the sexiest girl in the world, want to date loser-face-Uzumaki? If anybody, it should be me!" he nudged his chest with his thumb.

Nobody wanted to crush his dreams and tell him that was impossible.

"I thought you liked Hinata?" Chouji was unable to clearly think.

The dog-boy snorted. "Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Tenten - I'll happily take any one of them!"

Well, nobody could argue with that.

"Come on, guys. Let's get to class before the bell rings." Shikamaru lazily pulled himself up.

All of a sudden, the group of six boy stopped frozen in their tracks when they all happened to see something _very_ disturbing.

It was very quiet, until the bell had finally rung.

"D-Did Sakura-san just..." Lee sobbed.

This was definitely the weirdest day of their lives.

Sakura Haruno just kissed Naruto Uzumaki!

IN PUBLIC!

It was official...they had just witnessed the impossible.

* * *

As soon as the 'couple' arrived at the door of Sakura's first class, they stopped and looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Uh," Naruto rubbed his head nervously. "you really think you're gonna have a test today?"

Sakura shrugged, also feeling the unbearable nerve deep in her gut. "I'm not sure. You know how Kakashi-sensei is. Always trying to ambush us with pop quizzes."

"Yeah. That's true."

It was a very awkward moment.

"Sooooooo."

"Sooooooo."

Sakura flushed and slightly turned her head to the side.

Seeing her blush made Naruto blush, so he preoccupied himself by kicking imaginary dirty on the cold, hard ground. Without warning, Sakura slowly began closing in on him. Naruto noticed this and out of instinct, abruptly forced himself back. "W-We're going to do _this_ now?"

"Of course. Class is going to start any second." Sakura was immediately irritated when Naruto pulled back.

"Can't we...like...go somewhere private?"

This was SO embarrassing.

"The whole point of doing this is so everyone will know!" Sakura loudly reminded him. "So just fuckin' kiss me already."

He still hesitated. "I'm...I'm not ready!" he argued.

"We've kissed millions of times already!"

"No, you _attacked_ me millions of times already!"

Sakura growled impatiently at him. "Okay, here's what you're going to do. Pretend I'm, oh, I don't know, _Megan Fox_." the name popped into her head. "Guys have the hots for her, right? Just pretend you're kissing her, goddammit!" she pressured him.

Naruto still didn't make a move. Honestly, he thought Sakura was prettier than Megan Fox...

But there was no way in hell he was going to tell her that!

"Fine. Let's just get this over with." Naruto muttered distressingly. When he felt Sakura's smooth hands cup his face, he immediately tensed. His blue eyes were closed shut, impatiently waiting for the familiar, and very painful impact of Sakura's lips.

As soon as her glossy lips touched his, he suddenly melted. Her lips were perfectly soft and plump, not to mention absolutely delicious. This was very different than what he had been **fearfully **waiting for...

Sakura finally ended the kiss and slowly pulled away. For some reason, she looked a little disturbed. She kissed him longer than she intended to...

she couldn't breath.

"Cherries again." Naruto mumbled.

Sakura forced herself to exhale the breath she had been holding. "What?"

Naruto instantly snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled at her sheepishly. "Nothing! It's just..." he paused for a moment. "the first time we kissed, you tasted like cherries."

"..." The blush on Sakura's face was clearly evident.

"I love cherries." he stated as a fact.

Oh, god. She felt her face currently burn out of control.

"Y-You should go or you'll be late for class." she quickly turned her heel and basically sprinted into Kakashi's classroom, slamming the door behind her.

Naruto stood there silently confused by her actions. He slowly walked to his own class, thinking about her lips...

However, just know this: Naruto Uzumaki will NEVER EVER EVER be interested in Sakura Haruno. He promised himself that long ago, and intends to keep it.

He just wish he had the willpower to stop thinking about her damn lips!

* * *

Sakura was at ease.

Fortunately, there was no pop quiz in Kakashi's class.

_'Ha! So I kissed Naruto for nothing.'_ Oddly, she wasn't disturbed by that. _'Whoa wait. Kissing Naruto for nothing should've disturbed me. Why am I not disturbed!' _

She was disturbed for not being disturbed!

Shaking out of her thoughts, the emerald eyed girl focused her attention on Kurenai-sensei's chalkboard. As soon as first period with Kakashi-sensei was over, she headed straight to her second period class: Spanish.

"Grammar 28 quiz today..." she silently read with a bored look on her face.

It just hit her.

"OH FUCK!"

Everyone in class abruptly turned their attention to the dirty-mouth pink haired girl and stared at her questionably. However the boys didn't particularly care; they just had an excuse to stare at her breasts.

Sakura sat there sheepishly.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?" Kurenai eyed her.

"Uhhhh..." she nervously shifted in her chair. "I need to use the bathroom."

"I'm about to start the qui-"

"It's an emergency." Sakura looked like she was about to burst.

Kurenai assumed it was because she _really_ had to pee. "Fine, but make it quick. I want to start as soon as possible." the crimson eyed teacher warned.

"Thanks." Sakura hastily ran out the door.

Now, the number one most important thing to find out: Naruto's second period class.

* * *

Shizune examined a certain pink haired girl search frivolously through important papers in the filing cabinet. The girl wasn't even aware Shizune had been standing behind her watching with severe eyes

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

The girl jumped with a gasp. Slowly turning around, she saw a woman with short, black hair frowning at her. "Oh, hi." Sakura said innocently. "I like your perfume, Shizune. You smell, er, wonderful." she immediately tried to change the subject to avoid getting in trouble by the hands of Tsunade's right hand lady.

Shizune frowned deeper. "I don't use perfume."

Shoot.

"I absolutely loooove your new outfit."

Again, she frowned continued to deepen. "I've worn the same outfit for about a year now."

Sakura was at a loss. "Hey, did you recently get a haircut?"

"Why, yes I did!" the woman's eyes brightened.

Haha! Lucky guess. Sakura actually couldn't see the difference in Shizune's hair at all. "Well, it's beautiful. I can totally see the difference." the girl lied through her teeth.

Shizune was absolutely thrilled. "Thank you, Sakura. I appreciate that. Whenever I get a haircut, nobody ever notices!"

No shock there,

"Yup. I definitely noticed..."

and more with the lies!

Turning her smile upside down, Shizune finally realized why she was down here in the first place. "That's right! Tsunade-sama wants her coffee."

"Oh, you better get movin', Shizune. You know what happens when Tsunade doesn't get her coffee." Sakura warned her.

The secretary shivered. "Don't remind me. Okay, I'll see you later, Sakura - WAIT A MINUTE!"

Aw, shucks...

"What are you doing out of class? And why were you going through these files?" Shizune threw her a strict look. "And did you mean what you said about my haircut?" all of a sudden she turned absolutely fierce.

Dammit! Almost got away with it!

"Fine. Since I trust you, I'll tell you the truth." Sakura sighed. "I'm actually dating someone right now." she was, well, sorta truthful.

Shizune gasped. "Don't tell me the rumors are true! You're dating..."

Sakura nodded. "That's right. _Naruto Uzumaki_."

The second gasp was louder.

Sakura ignored the crazy look on Shizune's face and continued. "The reason I'm looking through the student files is because I wanted to look up my boyfriend."

Her superior was still confused. "Why?"

"Because I don't know where his second period class is!" Sakura looked extremely stressed.

Shizune still didn't quite get it. "Just ask him when you see him again."

"Okay, I'm just gonna say it." Sakura sighed, motioning the black haired woman to come closer. Shizune leaned in curiously. "You see, I need Naruto. He's the most important thing in my life right now." well, that was true.

Shizune was profoundly astonished.

"And I can't live through this day without **kissing** him. His kiss gives me the hope to live on." Sakura looked away dramatically. "Dontcha want me to live, Shizune?"

There were no words to describe Shizune's shock.

"Wow." she replied. "I just can't believe it's _Naruto Uzumaki_ of all people." even she knew the difference in their leagues. She often found herself eavesdropping on student gossip, and it was a well known fact throughout the student body that Naruto was the king of all outcasts. Honestly, she couldn't see why he was an outcast at all. He seemed like a pretty _groovy_ kid to her. "Well, I always thought he was cute." she shrugged.

Sakura threw her a bored look. "You don't understand. He's more than cute, he's my **god**." she inwardly rolled her eyes at her own statement. "So will you let me off the hook and possibly NOT mention this to Tsunade?"

For a moment, it didn't look like the woman was going to take the bait.

"Oh, all right."

Sakura didn't show it, but she was slightly surprised. It bothered her a little knowing Shizune actually believed she was obsessed with Naruto Uzumaki...

"But I'll only allow this once! It's not right (and a little weird) for a student to skip class just to kiss her boyfriend." Shizune eyed her disappointingly. "Promise me that this will be the last time."

"Yes, of course."

"Good." Shizune picked up the coffee cup and made her way to the Principal's office. "Oh, by the way," she stopped and smiled at Sakura. "Naruto's second period class is gym, with Gai."

Sakura blinked. "How do you know that?"

Suddenly, the secretary's face looked very exhausted. "You have no idea how many times a day his teachers, and I mean ALL of them, come to me and complain about him." Sakura could imagine. "I know them personally now, which means I know every class he _should_ be in."

Sakura wasted no time. "Thanks, I owe you one!" she hurried past Shizune and ran in the direction of the gym.

Shizune smiled and watched as the pink blur ran out of sight. "Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" she said quietly to herself.

What a shockingly...cute couple.

* * *

It wasn't much of a surprise to see Naruto stretching in gym class. In fact, gym was the only class he particularly excelled in. Getting the A's was easy as baking a cake (and Naruto can bake a pretty mean triple layer chocolate cake), but that wasn't the reason why he usually showed up in this particular class. Actually, that wasn't the reason at all.

He continued to stretch while carefully eyeing Sasuke Uchiha behind his back.

Their 'friendly' competition began in the first grade. It all started when Naruto just so happened to hear Sakura conversing with her friends about the new CUTE student in class. At first, he thought that new cute student was himself. He was ecstatic! But then he heard the name 'Sasuke Uchiha' squeal out of her lips, and she was completely hyped about him sharing the same class as her. The blue eyed boy was crushed, but he had to fight for Sakura's affection, and if that meant fighting Sasuke Uchiha (the other new student), then he would do it. His sneak attacks always proved useless, because for some reason, Sasuke always saw it coming and would quickly beat him to the ground. Kids thought that was cool, and Naruto only realized he was HELPING Sasuke win Sakura's heart even more!

The day Sakura accused Naruto of stealing her lucky charm and branded him an outcast was the day he thought his rivalry with Sasuke was over.

But that just wasn't the case. Everyone thought Uchiha was the definition of perfection, and Naruto hated that. So the rivalry continued, and to this day...

Naruto knew there was no way he could beat Sasuke educationally,

absolutely nooooo way.

So he figured the only way to win against the Uchiha prodigy was by physical means.

Even Gai-sensei encouraged this. Everyday, at the start of second period, he'd set up a race between Naruto and Sasuke (by Naruto's request) and whoever lost had to run around the gym half the period. Gai also encouraged gambling; he was secretly a compulsive gambler, but claimed it was the youthful thing to do.

Sometimes, Tsunade would join in too...

"Don't you just love the smell of competitive youth! Everybody cheer as Sasuke and Naruto run for the spirit of youthfulness!" Gai was the only one who cheered.

Oh, and Lee too.

Sasuke complained under his breath, but didn't dare say what he had on his mind out loud. The last time he did, Gai lectured an hour about something along the lines of taking his youth for granted and blah blah blah. Sasuke never listened to whatever Gai had to say. Not only is the man stupid, he LOOKS stupid too. Instead of listening to Gai's lectures, Sasuke simply took that time to stare at the man's overly-bushy eyebrows.

It transfixed the Uchiha prodigy.

However, the bigger pain in his ass (yes, even larger than Gai) was Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who started the competition in the first place. A lot of guys in this dreadful school wanted to punch Sasuke's guts out, but this particular one looked like he wanted to on a whole different level.

"I hate you!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke for everyone to hear, set on making an obvious point.

Okay, weird. But that just proves it.

All the raven haired boy could do was stare back at Naruto, bored out of his mind. He had to admit though, he admired the idiot's bravery. Guys who outwardly hate Sasuke were basically hated by the entire female population. So no one in their right mind would insult him like Naruto obviously just did. The least boys could do was think it.

"Ready to get your ass kicked today, Uchiha?" Naruto smirked as they readied themselves at the starting line.

"Like how you 'kicked my ass' yesterday, Uzumaki?" Sasuke smirked back when he saw his rival's smirk fade.

"That was a fluke and you know it. That branch came flying and tripped me out of nowhere." he muttered bitterly.

"Nobody saw a branch-"

"Well it was there!"

"Ready!" Gai exclaimed.

They got into their positions.

"Set!"

Sasuke really didn't feel like running around the gym, so he slapped his game face on.

"Go-"

"_WAIT!_"

The two boys nearly fell when they heard the cry of a female voice.

Actually, Naruto was a little relieved

...he forgot to tie his shoe laces.

"Oh, it's Sakura-san!" Lee was enraptured.

Naruto's head snapped up to see a pink haired girl staring directly at him.

Great, what does she want now?

"Gai-sensei, my precious cherry blossom has finally acknowledged my presence and has come to see me train in the spirit of vigorous youth!" the bushy-browed boy cried actual tears.

Gai cried with him. "That's great, Lee!" they hugged, which basically freaked everyone out. "Sakura, I'm so glad you finally recognized my precious student!"

Sakura stood there, a little embarrassed for witnessing this. "Um, no." she cleared her throat. "That's not why I'm here."

"What nonsense do you speak of! Of course you're here for Lee, don't be silly!" Gai realized Lee suddenly fell into dismay.

"Actually, I came to see my boyfriend..." she stared at her shoes, even more embarrassed.

Naruto blushed.

"Oh." Gai looked disappointingly at her. "All right, then. Sasuke go ahead." he grunted and gave Sasuke a wave of approval.

Sasuke threw Sakura a pathetic look. He couldn't believe she STILL thought they were going out.

"Um, no." Sakura retorted again, not even bothering to look at Sasuke (which surprised him greatly). "I meant..._Naruto_..."

The entire gym was filled with silence.

Eyes widened.

Jaws dropped.

Boys and girls alike pinched themselves, realizing it was not a nightmare.

This was definitely real.

And apparently it was the biggest shock (and disappointment, for the guys) of the century.

Even Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stared at Sakura with confusion in his eyes, then at Naruto, and back at Sakura.

"Do you mind?" she asked Gai.

Even Gai couldn't believe it! And more surprisingly, he was at a loss for words!

Without receiving his teacher's approval, Naruto pulled himself up and walked nervously toward Sakura.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, leaning closer to her sweet smelling-

"We were supposed to meet in front of Kakashi's after first period so you could walk me to Kurenai's class and kiss me!" she whispered in a hurry.

"You didn't tell me that!"

"You should've known!"

"Exactly how long were you waiting for me?"

Sakura was about to make a smart retort, but sighed in defeat.

"That's what I thought."

"Just kiss me now and get it over with! I have to take a Spanish quiz as soon as I get to class."

"Fine!"

Without hesitation, Sakura quickly pressed her lips against Naruto's, and this time, the entire gym was watching. They tried to ignore the gasps and cries of the students around them, but they found it a little difficult. The kiss ended up being very awkward and embarrassing, so Sakura finally ended it and pulled away.

"Okay."

"Yeah."

"So, I guess I'll see you in Asuma's class?"

"Uh huh." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, glancing at the shock-stricken faces around him.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Well, bye."

"See ya."

Sakura clumsily turned around and walked away. Naruto watched her, forgetting all about his race with Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke...

'_What the hell just happened_?' it didn't seem like it on the outside, but on the inside, Sasuke Uchiha was experiencing a complete and mental break down. '_This doesn't make sense. Why would Sakura..._' he just couldn't think.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HE COULDN'T THINK.

He also watched as Sakura nearly trip over smooth ground after the kiss she shared with that Uzumaki-loser.

This just wasn't possible.

* * *

_A/N: Hmmm I'm beginning to think I'm starting the hiatus at a weird time..._

_I wanna leave you guys hanging with a CLIFFHANGER! bwahahaha. Cliffhanger + Hiatus = Misery_

_So after I update chapter seven...bwaha the REAL hiatus begins...  
_


	6. How to Befriend an Outcast

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Six: How to Befriend an Outcast

* * *

Naruto wasn't exactly sure how to approach Sakura after what happened.

Honestly, he NEVER knew how to approach Sakura...ever.

After running half the period in gym (because he lost to Sasuke again - mainly due to distraction), Naruto finished a quick shower and headed straight to Asuma's class. He didn't know why, but he was actually a little...anxious to get there.

"N-Naruto?"

The whisker-tattooed boy turned to see a familiar face.

"Oh." was his first response out of shock. "Hinata, what's up?"

The purple haired girl hesitated for a moment, not sure if this was the right thing to do. "We're in the same math class."

"Riiiiight." Naruto threw her an odd look and attempted to walk away.

"Maybe we should walk together since we're going the same way." she felt a little tense.

Even more shocked, Naruto stopped trying to walk away. He carefully examined her expression for a few seconds, which unsettled Hinata. "You don't have to force yourself, you know."

Hinata blinked. "W-What?"

"I know you don't want to walk with me, so why...?" Naruto eyed her skeptically.

"I just figured since you're dating Sakura..." Hinata paused when she saw Naruto fidget uncomfortably. "I-I don't know. Maybe we should be...friends."

Naruto didn't quite know how to answer. Her suggestion threw him into a bigger shock.

"Is that okay with you?" Hinata stared him down.

"Uh, sure. Yeah, I mean, okay." he shrugged, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.

It was extremely uncomfortable walking side-by-side with the famous Hinata Hyuuga. Naruto found the situation somewhat awkward. He wasn't bothered by the fact that one of the HOTTEST girls he's ever seen wanted to befriend _him..._

...just look at his situation with Sakura. Now THAT bothered him.

He was, however, a little bothered by the fact that she was constantly keeping an eye on him.

"Er, what?" Naruto wiped his cheeks with his hand, thinking he had something on his face.

Hinata looked away. "Nothing. Actually, I have a confession to make."

Uh oh.

Naruto had been prepared for insults long ago. "Okay, lay it on me." he sighed.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

Okay, now Naruto was really confused. Being confused didn't really surprise him, though. Nowadays, he's ALWAYS confused. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

"I'm glad you're dating Sakura."

Naruto blinked.

Hinata noticed he wasn't going to speak anytime soon, so she continued. "The truth is, I've always wanted to be your friend. I just couldn't find a reason."

Naruto frowned. "You don't need a reason to befriend someone. You just...go for it." All this time, they could have been friends, but she needed a reason? "Why me, though?"

Her fair skinned cheeks were immediately tinted red. "W-Well, I actually had a crush on you in the first grade."

...

Whoa

Why was this happening now? First, pink-haired-hottie forces him to be her boyfriend. Next, white-eyed-hottie confesses old feelings for him. What's next?

"Oh." How could Naruto possibly respond to that!

Flashing back through her memories, Hinata smiled sadly. "You see, when Sakura declared you an outcast, I had to force myself to, well, stop liking you and start hating you."

Naruto only nodded his head, understanding her well.

"She was my only friend back then, and I really didn't want to lose her, so I pretended to hate you."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Sakura was a real witch back then, huh?"

The two of them chuckled softly together.

"I have to admit, she was a pretty cruel kid." Hinata mentally shook her head at her best friend's foolishness. "But she's different now. I mean, just the way she was looking at you this morning."

Naruto abruptly threw Hinata a startled look. "The way she was looking at me?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. "I can tell she really likes you."

The blue eyed boy snorted silently and looked away embarrassed. '_Heh. Who knew Sakura was a good actress._'

* * *

"Isn't it obvious? She's dating him out of guilt."

"Hmm, that does make sense."

"Of course it makes sense! Can you think of any other reason besides that?"

"Still, I wouldn't date someone like **him** just because I feel guilty. If I, oh I don't know, burned his family alive, then maybe, just maaaybe I would."

"Yeah, same here. Or not. I'd probably just say sorry and run away."

"Oh, whatever. Let's just ask her for ourselves. Who knows, maybe she actually...likes him."

"DON'T YOU DARE, TENTEN! DON'T YOU DARE!"

"Gosh, Ino! Would it be the end of the world if she did?"

There was a pause. Both girls looked at each other with indifference. "Yes it would." they replied together.

Right on cue, Ino's eyes caught Sakura and Hinata walking toward their usual lunch table.

"So, got any gossip today, Ino?" Sakura sat herself down next to the blond.

Ino shot her a glare and crossed her arms. "Oh yeah. There's a nasty rumor going around. Just horrible."

"Horrible." Tenten repeated, also shooting Sakura a glare.

Hinata and Sakura looked at each other raising an eyebrow. "Oh, I know what this is about." Sakura nodded her head in realization.

"Ah ha! So it's true!" Ino pointed an accusing finger at her pink haired friend.

Sakura scoffed. "Of course it's true. Ebisu-sensei is secretly having an affair with Shizune. I saw them making out in the janitor's closet."

"What! No way! Is that true? How could I not know that!" Ino exclaimed, disappointed in her recent lack of gossip.

Tenten sighed annoyingly. "That's not what we meant by horrible, Sakura."

The emerald eyed girl shrugged. "I thought that was pretty horrible."

"No, Tenten's right! We know about your little relationship with Uzumaki." Ino sneered at her.

"Right. Because I told you this morning." Sakura threw them a bored look.

"NO! Well, yeah. But we know why you're _really_ dating him."

"Because he has a really cute butt?"

"STOP FUCKING AROUND! It's because you feel guilty!" Ino trashed her arms in the air, frustrated.

Sakura paused for a moment, and pretended to take her friend's statement into full consideration. "Nope. I'm pretty sure it's because he has a really cute butt." she smirked, loving how Ino's face burned furiously.

"Shut your dirty mouth! That's not true!" The blue eyed beauty wanted to slap some sense into her.

"What can I say? Naruto's a _very_ cute boy." Sakura added. "And funny, and an amazing prankster-"

"Oh, stop it!"

Sakura was actually surprised at herself. She never thought she would ever compliment Naruto as much as she just did...or at all.

Quickly shaking out of her thoughts, she checked her watch and pulled herself up. "Ready to go, Hinata?"

"Right behind you." the white eyed girl answered.

"Whoa, wait, where are you two going?" Tenten's chocolate brown eyes followed them.

"We're supposed to meet Naruto by the teacher's lounge. He said he can get us free ice cream there." Sakura simply told them.

"And Hinata's going with you, _why_?" Tenten raised a suspicious eyebrow at her purple haired friend.

"And exactly _how_ does he get free ice cream?" added Ino, just as suspicious.

Hinata smiled bashfully. "N-Naruto-kun and I are friends now."

Gasp.

Did she just say Naruto-**kun**?

Oh hell no.

"WHAT!" Tenten and Ino simultaneously exclaimed.

"Yeah, I was surprised too." Sakura giggled. "It's actually not a bad idea. You two should get to know him. Then we can all hang out." she suggested heartily.

Like that's ever going to happen.

"See you girls later." Sakura and Hinata waved as they walked away, leaving two very troubled friends behind.

For a while, they sat there, ignoring the food on their plates.

Tenten slowly picked up her fork and stabbed a carrot. "What do you think we should do, Ino?"

The blond girl only stared out into space. "How am I supposed to know?"

"He is Sakura's boyfriend. That much is true."

"Dammit of all people!"

"And we should try to get along with whoever she decides to date...even if he is the biggest loser ever known." added Tenten furiously.

"Oh god, no."

"That's what friends do, right?"

Ino grumbled under her breath. "I guess."

They looked at each other, horrified.

* * *

The rain poured heavily on a Friday morning, and Tenten cursed for the hundredth time wondering why her parents couldn't just buy her a damn car.

"Ugh!" she groaned loudly when her foot fell into a puddle. "Could this day get any worse?" she uttered to herself as she made a pit-stop to shake her wet shoe off.

Glancing up for a second, she happened to lay eyes on a blond haired boy leaning against a brick wall in solitude. Tenten immediately knew who it was and quickly looked down at her shoe. She wasn't surprised to see Naruto there at this time. He was always there by himself, just staring off into space, apparently lost in his thoughts. Tenten usually ignored him and walked straight pass him without a care in the world.

'_But not this time._' she sighed uneasily, forcing herself to walk near him.

Tenten had finally made it at least a few feet in front of Naruto, and she mentally patted her back for a job well done. The only thing that irritated her was the fact that he didn't seem to notice she was there.

Dammit, she was standing right in front of him! Not to mention he's crazy for ignoring such a beautiful girl such as herself...

"Ahem." she coughed loudly enough to shake him out of his thoughts.

Naruto blinked and look at her a little alarmed. "Oh. Sakura's friend..." he scratched his head, obviously forgetting her name. "What's up?"

Tenten punched him in the face in her deepest, darkest thoughts. "It's Tenten. We've actually known each other since the first grade." she let out an irritated breath. She couldn't believe he forgot her name. NOBODY forgets Tenten.

"Oh, yeah. I knew that."

Psh. Yeah right.

"Anyway, do you mind if I...wait here with you?" Tenten grudgingly bit out.

Naruto found this situation a little familiar. "Did you have a secret crush on me in the first grade, but couldn't tell me because of Sakura?"

That was an incredibly weird thing to say.

"What - NOOO!" Tenten exclaimed, accidentally stepping into another puddle.

"Oh." was Naruto's smart response. "I'm waiting for Sakura, so when she gets here I guess we could walk to school together."

"Okay." Tenten didn't really know what to say after that.

The two of them leaned lazily against the brick wall and watched the rain fall peacefully.

"Why don't you have a last name?" he asked all of a sudden.

Tenten glared at him. "None of your bees wax."

"Seriously. What's the deal with that?"

Again, Tenten punched him (twice as hard) in her deepest, darkest thoughts. "I'm like Madonna. I'm too cool for a last name." she huffed.

Naruto only raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"So are you dating anyone?"

Tenten abruptly turned to face him. "What's with all the weird question!"

The boy shrugged.

"Why? Are you interested?" she snorted.

Naruto looked indifferent. "No. Just wondering why someone as pretty as you isn't dating anyone."

Tenten's face flushed. "It's none of your business!" she shouted, turning away from him.

For a while, they simply stood there in silence.

"You think I'm pretty?" Tenten looked up at him shyly, still very flushed.

Naruto threw her an odd look. "It's kind of obvious." he replied innocently.

Again, Tenten looked away, staring down at her shoes with a deeper shade of red painted on her face. "Um, thanks."

"Hey, I'm not trying to compliment you or anything! I'm just stating a fact, so don't go around thinking I like you." Naruto declared. "I'm sure a lot of **girls** would kill to date you."

Tenten snapped her attention yet again on Naruto. Her brown eyes stared at him wide with horror. "Y-You know I'm a..."

"Lesbian?" he raised an eyebrow. "Everyone in school knows." Naruto threw her a bored look.

Tenten looked absolutely horrified. "No! That can't be! The only people I told were Sakura, Hinata and..."

Ino

She growled. She honestly loved that girl. But her mouth could only keep a secret for so long...

"OHHHHH! I can't believe this!" Tenten cried, trashing her arms around, ready to hit anything (or anybody) that got in the way.

Naruto backed away, a little scared.

"It's not a big deal!"

"Yes it is! Oh, god! My life is ruined!" she stomped immaturely in the puddle of mud she stepped in earlier.

"Wait - hold on a second!" he grabbed her shoulders, hoping to stop her frenzied behavior. "You're gonna get your uniform dirty."

Tenten stopped and gaped at him.

"I thought girls hated getting dirty?" Naruto looked at her naively.

True. But Tenten couldn't care less right now.

Finally in a calmer mood, Naruto released his grip on her and sighed. "Like I said before, it's not a big deal. People don't care. We've known since our freshmen year."

She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't quite find the words.

"Did you notice any changes in your life after that?"

He had a point. Nothing changed. People still acted normally around her. Did people really know?

"Geez, you're getting all worked up for nothing." he grinned, continuing to lean against the brick wall.

Still in a state of shock, Tenten quietly imitated his action.

"Look. There's Sakura." Naruto's eyes caught a pink haired girl walking in their direction.

The two of them watched as their pink haired friend came nearer in sight.

"Um, Naruto?" said Tenten, kicking the wall with her heel.

"Yeah?" he answered, still keeping his crystal blue eyes on Sakura.

"I'm actually _bisexual_..."

Naruto blinked, turning his head to face the brown eyed girl in confusion.

"Hey, Tenten. What are you doing here?" Sakura looked pleasantly surprised once she caught sight of her best friend and 'boyfriend' being unusually civil.

Tenten smiled and lifted herself off the brick wall. "Just thought I'd walk to school with my friends."

"Even Naruto?" Sakura beamed.

"I said my _friends_ didn't I?" Tenten rolled her eyes when she saw the astonishment in their faces, especially in Naruto's. "What are you waiting for? Let's go." she walked ahead of them, laughing at the shocked expression on Sakura's face.

"R-Right. Come on, Naruto." Sakura tugged on his hand.

Tenten had no idea why she told Naruto she was bisexual. Truthfully, she didn't even know she was bisexual until just now. Tenten turned her head around slightly to see Naruto and Sakura holding hands and whispering in secrecy. Her eyes were then focused closely on a certain blue eyed, blond haired boy.

Sakura was right.

Naruto is a _very_ cute boy.

* * *

Ino sank deep into her seat, wondering what she should do about the 'Naruto-situtation'. It's been on her mind since lunch period YESTERDAY! For goodness sake, she couldn't even dig up news on the latest gossip because of that friend-stealing jerk.

"Where the hell is that brat?" nearly everyone in class heard Iruka mumbling to himself.

The bell had finally rung, and everyone had been seated long ago. Iruka looked absolutely furious.

"Why does he always do this to me?" he muttered again, thinking no one could hear him.

Just when Iruka was about to start the lesson, he heard the door open...

And in walked a casual looking Naruto. The boy stopped in his tracks when he realized people were staring at him. He quickly sniffed his arm pits and knew it wasn't because he smelled. He was absolutely sure he took a shower this morning...

"Why are you late this time!" Iruka threw a piece of chalk at the boy's head.

Naruto dodged it just in time. "Dammit, Iruka-sensei! You could take an eye out with that thing!"

"Don't change the subject! WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LATE!"

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS! - No! No! You know I'm just kidding, sensei." Naruto laughed when he saw Iruka's nose flare up angrily. "I was walking..._someone_ to class." the boy dodged another piece of chalk flying at his head.

"I don't care who you walk to class, if you're late one more time-!"

"Okay, okay." Naruto reasoned with his hands, still laughing at Iruka's expression.

"Sit your late ass down and open a book for once. Then maybe I'll let it go." Iruka negotiated, still sneering at the blond boy who tried to look innocent.

Naruto sloppily sat himself down in an empty chair at the farthest corner of the classroom, and immediately attempted to fall asleep.

"Idiot." he heard someone trying to mutter secretly beside himself.

Naruto turned his head slightly and found a blond hair girl scoffing annoyingly next to him. He examined her head-to-toe and when he was through, he snorted softly.

"At least I know how to put on matching socks." he muttered to the girl, eyeing her feet. She wore a pink polka dotted sock on the right foot, and a blue sock with green frogs on the other. "Who's the idiot now?"

The blond girl known as Ino Yamanaka flushed angrily. "I'm making a fashion statement!" she muttered back, and loud enough to turn heads in her direction.

"And what statement is that? _Look at me! My socks don't match!_" he teased using a high, girlish voice, and funny expressions.

Ino steamed. "You are so immature."

"I'm sorry, who has little green frogs on their socks?"

"Argh!" Ino muttered curses angrily in her seat.

This caused Iruka to stop the lesson and stare at her with an irritated look on his face.

"Sorry." she muttered.

When Iruka continued the lesson, Ino snapped her head at Naruto (who looked very smug) and glared holes in his face.

"Hehe." he grinned. "Truce?"

No way.

Ino huffed and turned away.

"Oh, come on."

"No...you teased my socks." sure she was being a little immature too. Well, she's a teenage girl! She has an excuse!

She heard Naruto sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Hmph. Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I like your socks."

Ino raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I actually really like frogs. Your socks are, er, cute." he scratched his head, feeling a little awkward.

"Really-"

A boy who very well looked like he could be on the football team interrupted Ino and growled indignantly at Naruto. "Is that loser bothering you, Ino? Give me the word and I'll happily-"

"Did you just interrupt me? Shut up, I'm talking to Naruto!" Ino flipped her hair in the boy's face and focused her attention on an entirely surprised blue eyed boy. "So you really think my socks are cute?" her smile widened.

"Yeah." Naruto eyed the jock who looked extremely dispirited after being verbally attacked by one of the hottest girls in school.

Ino scooted her seat closer to Naruto. "What about the pink one? What do you think?"

"Er, well..." he shrugged. "I'm actually getting used to the idea of pink." he said, pink hair suddenly invading his thoughts. "So yeah, it's okay."

Ino inwardly squealed. Finally someone who appreciated her 'stylish' socks! Even Sakura teased her, that biatch.

"You know what? You're okay, Uzumaki." Ino smirked approvingly at him.

Naruto returned the smirk. "You're not too bad either, Yamanaka."

Ino paused to really look at him. This freaked Naruto out a little.

"What?" he eyed her suspiciously.

"You are cute."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Ino silently giggled. She looked away, pretending to focus entirely on Iruka's lesson.

Naruto Uzumaki.

What an interesting guy.

* * *

A/N: Nearly hiatus time! Thanks for the reviews; i love you guys so much! OH AND HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! All you need is love :D


	7. Revelations

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Seven: Revelations

* * *

"Hi."

"Hey."

"So how was your weekend?"

"Ahhh, same as usual. Work, ramen, pranks. Fun stuff like that."

"Oh, LOTS of fun."

Instinctively, Naruto and Sakura walked hand-in-hand on their way to school. It's funny how they were so uncomfortable and awkward at first; now, holding hands was such a normal and natural thing to do. And they haven't even been _pretend _dating for a week yet!

In the back of their minds (even though neither of them would admit it), they felt strongly connected to each other.

"Aw, shit." Naruto ceased walking.

"What? What happened? Did you lose something? Should we turn back?" Sakura panicked. When Naruto was in distress, so was she.

And that thought freaked her out a bit.

Naruto stood there silently, befuddled at her reaction. "Uh, no,_ shit_. I literally stepped in it." He picked up his shoe to show her he actually stepped in dog droppings. The astonished look on his face couldn't be more evident; did Sakura actually...

care about him?

"Oh." Sakura flushed sheepishly. She tugged his hand, indicating him to keep walking.

Naruto shook those insane thoughts away. It was probably a fluke. It's crazy to think Sakura Haruno, the **dictator** and beauty queen of Konoha High, cared about someone like him...at least in 'that' way. "Hold on a minute. These are my good shoes."

"Just buy another pair." Sakura said impatiently.

"Sorry. I'm not made of money." he retorted, rolling his eyes. "Turn around."

"What?"

"I'm gonna take my undershirt off."

"What the - why?" her eyes widened.

"To wipe the crap off my shoes, that's why!"

"Goddammit, just scrape it off the cement!"

"That's not effective! Now turn around." Naruto turned his back on her, about ready to pull his shirt off.

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Just take it off. I see millions of guys shirtless all the time."

chirp chirp.

Naruto immediately gaped at her.

"On T.V., you idiot!" she blushed furiously.

For a moment, they stood there awkwardly. "Will you just turn around?" Sakura could have sworn she detect begging in his voice. "Please?" he looked entirely distressed.

Sakura felt a powerful dose of genuine concern for her 'boyfriend', however she obeyed his request and turned around.

"Whatever you do, don't look!"

"Fine!"

She rolled her eyes at his silliness. She just couldn't understand why he was so eager to hide his body. From what she could tell, he seemed to be perfectly (though a little on the thin side) built. Hearing the fabric being pulled away from his body and out of the utmost curiosity, she slowly turned her head to catch a glimpse of what all the fuss was about. When she caught sight of his body, she gasped in horror.

"Naruto, oh my god!"

The blue eyed boy literally jumped at her response.

"I thought I told you not to look!" he glared viciously at her, swiftly pulling his undershirt back on and buttoning his uniform.

The crappy shoe was completely forgotten.

"Why do you...how did...who did that to you?" Sakura felt she was on the verge of tears, yet successfully held it back.

Even with one, small glimpse, it was hard to miss the deep, purple bruises literally covered all over Naruto's body. It was utterly repulsive to look at. Sakura took a wild guess and concluded that the bruises never really had the chance to heal.

"It's no big deal-"

"Of course it is! Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"Can we just drop it!" he tried to grab her hand.

"NO!" Sakura swapped his hand away. Naruto stepped back and sighed. "Who did this to you?"

Realization hit him, nearly knocking him down. Naruto remained in a silent shock. "So, you do care about me." he stated more than questioned.

Sakura would have been completely nauseated by that statement, but now was not the time. "Was it...your parents?" Child abuse did not sit well with her.

"Sakura..." Naruto looked outright uncomfortable. "I'm an **orphan**."

The pink haired girl froze.

Her heart suddenly dropped.

"Wow. We actually have something in common." she sadly replied, staring blankly at the ground.

Naruto's somber eyes wandered away. And he thought miss perfect had everything...

Well, neither of them were anxious to talk about it. So Naruto sighed in defeat. "Every Tuesdays and Thursdays." he casually shrugged, trying is best to ignore the painful look on Sakura's face.

Tuesdays and Thursdays?

Ohhhhh.

She immediately wished she was the one being abused. She felt completely guilt-ridden. "Shit." Sakura knew those days very well. She and the jocks were the ones who initiated it. "I forgot about those."

"Good. Don't even think about it."

"It's my fault."

"We're friends now, right? It doesn't matter." he reassured her.

"I'm so sorry."

"I said it doesn't matter." his smile shone brightly at Sakura, a feature that amazed her to no end. "Can we please go to school now?" Naruto begged, holding out a hand for her.

Without delay, Sakura accepted his hand, this time adding a little more pressure. "I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth." she teased, sensing it was time to change the mood.

"It's a good day." he continued to smile at her. "Monday."

Sakura faked a smile and turned to look ahead.

'_You won't ever have to worry about Tuesdays and Thursdays anymore, Naruto_' she promised, squeezing his hand tighter in her grip.

* * *

"Sakura! Naruto! Over here!" Ino shouted, waving a welcoming hand.

Sakura smiled in her direction and pulled Naruto along.

Trying to ignore the stares and mainly _glares_ from everyone around him, Naruto coughed nervously walking slightly closer behind Sakura. It was odd; he was usually used to this kind of thing. Why was he scared all of a sudden? His eyes focused on Sakura's pink wavy tresses bouncing angelically in the sunlight.

Yup. Somehow, he figured his new found cowardice had something to do with her. If anything happened to him, especially around her, he wasn't exactly sure how he would handle the situation. Getting embarrassed in front of Sakura was the absolute last thing he wanted...

But it's not like he LIKES her or anything!

And now he's hungry. Great.

Before he knew it, he found himself seated at a table with four of the most beautiful girls in school.

He hungrily eyed Tenten's plate of breakfast...

"So, Naruto, I've been meaning to ask you something." Ino sipped her coke, eying the blue eyed boy impishly. "How exactly did you fall _back_ in love with Sakura?"

Sakura glared daggers at her soon-to-be-dead-friend.

"Well?" Tenten leaned closer in curiosity, along with Hinata.

Naruto gawked stupidly. "Uh." he turned to Sakura for help.

She shrugged, leaving him hanging.

Inwardly gasping at her unwillingness to help, Naruto turned to Ino with a devilish grin. "Actually, it was Sakura who fell in love with **me**." he seized Tenten's bottle of orange juice and sipped it.

Snapping her head in Naruto's direction, Sakura gaped.

"She stalked me for days, climbing up five stories of my apartment to get a peek at my body behind the window. She used to watch me for HOURS. Of course, I was tempted to call the police, but I eventually gave in and dated her instead." he shrugged, taking several bites of Tenten's oatmeal. "She seemed really desperate."

Sakura mentally reminded herself to kick Naruto's ass later.

Hinata, Tenten, and Ino stared at Sakura as if she was a completely different person.

"Is that true?" Hinata eyed her friend suspiciously.

As Naruto threw pieces of Tenten's grapes in his mouth, he smirked at his 'stalker-girlfriend' and gave her a frisky wink.

Sakura's gape grew wider.

Why, that little-

"Hey, that's my breakfast!" Tenten caught Naruto munching on her 100 calorie oreos and playfully pushed his arm.

"You want some?" he smiled mischievously.

Everyone around the table laughed.

* * *

"OH MY GAWSH!" Kiba's eyes exploded out of his sockets, pointing frantically at Naruto. "What the fuck is Uzumaki doing over there!"

The group of six boys noticed all eyes, and that meant ALL eyes, were focused entirely on the table seating four goddesses and an outcast.

Jaws dropped.

"Has the world finally gone to hell?" even Shikamaru's eyes widened in trauma.

"First Sakura-san, NOW ALL OF THEM!" Lee almost cried at the revelation.

"How did he do it? How the hell did he do it!" Chouji stopped eating (for once in his life).

Shino and Neji were at a loss of words...which actually wasn't unusual for either of them. But they were still very much flabbergasted.

They suddenly witnessed the four beauties laughing at something Naruto said.

"I don't know whether to hate him," said Kiba, remarkably rational at the moment. "or to worship him."

"..." Shikamaru didn't say a word; he was still in a traumatized state.

Chouji dropped his bag of chips and continued staring at the blond-boy-wonder. "I think...I respect him now."

Nobody said anything, but they were all thinking the same thing: '_Me too._'

* * *

Sakura stood at the center of the stage in the gym, watching all the jocks gather anxiously around her. She held a wireless microphone in her hand and patiently waited until she felt everyone was there.

"Testing. Testing. One, two, three? Okay, do we have all the basketball players yet?" she spoke into the mike.

Everyone sort of goggled rather than answered her, which irritated Sakura immensely.

"What about the football players? All right, I know the soccer players are here. We have the baseball players. I think we have everyone." she shrugged unknowingly.

Hundreds of jocks circulated the room, pushing and shoving each other to get closer to the pink haired beauty herself.

"So, as you guys know, the last time we all met up like this was in our freshmen year." she stated in the microphone. "And that was to initiate 'Beat up Naruto Uzumaki on Tuesdays and Thursdays'."

The gym echoed loudly with cheers and menacing laughter.

"Well," suddenly, Sakura's infamous demonic aura surrounded the gym. It was very cold. "as of today, it has officially been UN-initiated."

The cheers and loud shouts of laughter instantly died down.

"And if any of you lay a finger on Naruto again," she glared at everyone, causing them to back away. "I will make your life worse than hell and make you wish you were dead and actually IN hell." her eyes were fixated malevolently.

Fear engulfed them; nobody dare said a word.

Sakura immediately caught a boy who seemed to be in doubt. He choked when she eyed him venomously. "It's true jocks have power over the _student body_. But just remember one thing."

She slowly walked closer as the jocks slowly backed farther.

"I have power over _everybody_. And I will **destroy** you if you don't obey me."

A cold wind blew by.

But it wasn't the cold air that made them shiver...

"Okay, I'm done!" she smiled in an evil-sweetness sort of way and waved at everyone. "You can all go now. Have a nice day."

The crowd of jocks shoved each other to clear Sakura's path as she skipped on her merry way.

* * *

Naruto sat against a big, shady tree outside on the school grounds, apparently waiting for someone.

And it's no surprise who he was waiting for.

"Hey!"

Naruto immediately tensed in her presence. "Hey. What took you so long?" he glanced at his watch and back at her. "...And why were you skipping?" he raised an eyebrow.

Sakura looked absolutely radiant.

It kind of scared him.

"Nothing." she shrugged, seating herself next to him on the grass. Naruto found it very odd that she was giggling to herself.

"And where the hell have you been? You just left me without warning!" he pouted, crossing his arms and giving her a glare.

At once, Sakura threw him a smug look. "Awww. Looks like somebody couldn't wait to be with me." she teasingly fluttered her eyelashes.

Naruto was dumbfounded. "No! I just...THAT'S NOT-!" his face burned fervently.

"Who's the desperate one now?" Sakura smirked evilly, something she's well known for.

Naruto immediately wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to trap her in a very dangerous and deadly _tickle fight_.

"NOOO! STOP!" Sakura laughed hysterically as the two fell, rolling on the grass.

* * *

"That's so cute..."

"I think it's gross."

"It looks like they're having fun."

Hinata, Ino, and Tenten watched the two 'lovers' tickling each other, rolling on the grass laughing.

Tenten leaned on her palm and sighed. "I wish I had a boyfriend like Naruto."

...

Well, that certainly caught Ino and Hinata's attention.

Tenten froze. '_Did I just say that out loud?_' she immediately started laughing in a fit of hysteria and quickly tried to think of a way to save her ass. "I mean, I wish I had a _girlfriend _like Naruto!"

Nope. Still came out wrong.

"I mean...!" Well, that does it. "Oh damn!" her flushing face fell into her hands, far too embarrassed to look up.

"Tenten." said an astounded Hinata. "Do you..._like_ N-Naruto-kun?"

The brown eyed girl was completely furious. "Of course not! I'm a lesbian; I'm in love with Jessica Alba." she sort of lied.

"Well, good!" Ino glared at her brunette friend.

"Right. Because Naruto's going out with Sakura." Tenten sighed unhappily (for some reason).

Ino's face fell. "Oh. Yeah. Because he's going out with Sakura."

Now it was Tenten's turn to glare at Ino. "Wait a minute. Do YOU like Naruto?"

The look on Ino's face couldn't possibly be put into words. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? I think I have higher standards than that!" she defended herself.

Hinata threw Ino an offended look. "Any girl in the world would be lucky to date N-Naruto-kun. He's handsome, funny, caring, kind-"

The purple haired girl came to a halt, realizing she was praising Naruto way too much for her comfort. Her face might as well have been painted bright red.

Tenten and Ino stared at Hinata for a very long time.

And then silently turned their heads to find random objects to blankly gawk at.

This isn't good.

* * *

"Iruka-sensei's class, right?" Naruto stopped walking, still hand in hand with the emerald eyed beauty.

"Unfortunately." Sakura sighed.

"I was in his first period class. Don't worry, there's no test." said Naruto, not exactly sure why he felt disappointed.

"Are you sure?" Sakura was a little disappointed too...of course she also had no idea why.

"Yeah. Pretty positive."

"I don't know. You have the tendency to fall asleep in class. Maybe you skipped a test without knowing it." Sakura shrugged.

Naruto shook his head. "Iruka-sensei would've thrown chalk at my head."

"Oh." Sakura mentally pouted, secretly disgruntled.

For a while, they stood there quietly, not sure what to do next.

"I guess I'll go then..." said Naruto as he hesitantly let go of Sakura's hand.

"No, wait."

He immediately looked at her with a glint in his crystal blue eye. "Yeah?"

"Er, maybe...I don't know..."

"Wait. Do you _want_ to kiss me?" Naruto's heart paced.

"No!" Sakura instantly regret saying that when it looked like she had just slapped Naruto in the face." I just think we should...uh, you know?" Sakura tried her best not to blush. "I mean, just in case."

"Y-Yeah, of course." Naruto's voice cracked, knowing very well Iruka will definitely not be handing out a test today. However, for unknown reasons, he went along with her.

The 'couple' slowly inched closer within one another. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, and Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist. After seconds of awkward waiting, Sakura lips finally melted into Naruto's. She sucked lightly on the bottom of his lip, waiting patiently to get inside. Naruto gave in and parted his lips, allowing her sweet tongue to roam freely. He imitated her actions and pulled her into a much tighter embrace.

So this is french kissing?

He liked it.

A lot.

Sakura and Naruto were forcibly pulled apart when the tardy bell rang. They hadn't even realized they were making out for that long...was it even necessary?

A simple peck on the lips would have sufficed for one test...

even though there really is NO test.

Sakura couldn't find it in herself to speak. She quietly turned around and opened the door to Iruka's class. Naruto seemed to be in the same state, because he merely watched in silence as Sakura walked away from him.

"_Dude. That was awesome._"

Frowning on the spot, Naruto slowly turned around to see six guys standing behind him with bewildered expressions.

The one he knew as Kiba Inuzuka looked ecstatic. "Seriously, that was the awesomest make out scene I've ever seen in my life! Did you guys see how stunned Sakura was? I swear, it looked like she was about to faint!" the dog-boy nudged his friends in a wild frenzy.

"Truly, Naruto-kun, you are the luckiest guy I know!" Rock Lee exclaimed with just as much excitement despite the heavy despair of losing Sakura forever.

"Thanks." Naruto scratched his head, not entirely sure how to respond to a group of guys who are actually speaking 'civil' to him.

Neji Hyuuga, the boy commonly known as 'Hinata's cousin', looked at him suspiciously. "How exactly did you get a girl like Sakura to date you?"

"Teach me your secrets!" Chouji Akimichi anxiously consumed large amounts of potato chips.

Naruto backed away as the six boys moved in closer. "I don't know." lies.

"Are you threatening her?" Shino eyed him.

More like the other way around!

"No-"

"Well, how!" A frustrated Kiba threw his arms in the air.

At this point, Naruto steadily prepared himself to get a beating. It was a little unusual for him to get beaten on a Monday, but it wasn't uncommon. Although, these guys weren't even jocks. What's up with that? He waited for the first punch; after a couple minutes of waiting and awkward silences, he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Can we hurry and get this over with?" he told them impatiently. "I planned a prank for Tsunade baachan and I don't wanna be late."

The six boys looked at each other shrugging.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shikamaru Nara looked at the blond haired boy, confounded.

"And what _kind_ of prank are you pulling off today?" Kiba questioned. He never did like Naruto, but he always respected his intelligent pranking abilities. It inspired Kiba to become a prankster himself...although he would never admit it to anyone as long as he lived!

Until now. Kiba officially declared Naruto a 'badass' for bagging the hottest girl in school.

Naruto was absolutely stupefied. "Aren't you guys gonna beat me up...or something?"

Neji scoffed. "Why would we do something like that?"

"Besides, only jocks are allowed to beat the crap outta you for some reason." added Kiba unnecessarily.

"Yeah, Naruto, you're pretty cool now." said Chouji very knowingly.

The blue eyed boy stood there quietly in astonishment. '_So...I'm cool now? WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED WITH MY LIFE!_'

"So tell us your secret, Uzumaki." Shikamaru pressured him further.

Neji turned to the spiky haired boy with a taunting look in his eye. "Shikamaru, since when were you ever interested in getting a girl?" he found the blush on his friend's face quite amusing.

Shikamaru tensed. "I might not look it, but I'm a hormonal, teenage boy just like everyone else."

"Heh." the white eyed boy smirked.

"And it's not like YOU don't want to know either, Neji." Shikamaru fired back.

Neji scoffed, quickly looking the other way in embarrassment.

"Naruto-kun, please tell us your secret!" Lee desperately pleaded. "How did you get Sakura-san to like you?"

For a moment, Naruto felt a slight queasiness in the gut of his stomach. He really hated lying. "She thinks kissing me will improve her grades, so she's basically keeping me as a lucky charm."

An uncomfortable silence transpired.

"Do we look like idiots?" Kiba snorted.

Naruto kinda thought he did.

"Come on, man! Give us some real answers!" the dog-lover exclaimed impatiently.

Naruto mentally sighed.

Well, he tried telling the truth.

"It's probably because I have access to free coupons at Ichiraku's." the blue eyed boy shrugged.

"Can I have one?" asked Chouji.

"In your dreams!"

* * *

Sakura sat silently in her usual seat, staring stupidly at the first object her eyes laid on...a fly the size of a chocolate Hershey kisses, nesting on Iruka's head. However, the fact that the hugest fly ever was sitting on her teacher's head (which everyone noticed, but didn't bother to tell Iruka) was of no concern to Sakura at all.

Her mind was only on one thing.

And we all know about that one thing.

Sakura let out a heavy, dreamy sigh, unable to focus on anything but that **kiss**.

She was completely oblivious to anything or anyone around her...

oddly enough, that included the famous Sasuke Uchiha...

which he found particularly irritating. He especially hated that dumbstruck look on her face. What amazing thing happened that rendered her...looking like that!

That day at the gym, when Sakura announced Uzumaki as her boyfriend...

a revelation hit him.

"Sakura." the raven haired boy whispered from behind. This was the first time he actually made an attempt to talk to a girl HE broke up with.

Silence.

Obviously, she was still very much in a dumbstruck state.

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke brutally tapped her shoulder.

"Ow! Heeey-" she turned around and found a certain onyx eyed boy staring fixedly at her.

"We need to talk-"

"Sasuke. Sakura. Do you need to take this outside?" Iruka interrupted, glaring at them...not before realizing there was a huge fly and his head and shooing it away.

"Yeah. Actually I would like to speak to Sakura alone." Sasuke bluntly replied. "Now."

Sakura made an expression indicating she had no intention of going anywhere.

Iruka's face went blank. Usually a student would look down embarrassed and say 'no, sir'. What do you in this situation? "Can't this wait until after class?"

"No." Sasuke stared him down with a cold, hard look.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

"Well, okay then." Iruka shrugged without a clue.

Sasuke Uchiha sure had a way with people.

Sakura got up from her seat and followed her 'ex-boyfriend' out of class.

As soon as they were out, Sasuke hastily shut the door behind him.

"I want you back." he immediately proclaimed.

And with zero emotion, too.

"Did you say you want _my back_?" Sakura tried to clear her mind. She wasn't in her right mind to think straight ever since that certain...kiss...it was like fireworks. A whole bunch of fireworks! The loud, expensive ones that make your ears pop-

"Sakura." Sasuke grabbed both her shoulders, staring intensely into her emerald eyes. "I want you to be my girlfriend again."

Oh.

This definitely got her thinking straight again.

"You...what?" she felt her knees wobble.

Sasuke sighed. "You already proved your point."

"What point? I'm really confused."

"You're pretending to date Uzumaki to make me jealous. And it worked." he backed away, leaning against the door and shoving his hands into his pockets.

When he turned his head, he saw all the students (including Iruka) through the window, pressing their ears against the door. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and once again had them intensely set on Sakura only.

"You're right." Sakura leaned against the opposite wall, unable to believe Sasuke actually wanted her back. She fixed her gaze on him with the same intensity. "I am pretending to date Naruto."

Sasuke smirked victoriously.

Naruto Uzumaki is an idiot to believe he actually had a chance with Sakura Haruno.

"Then I guess this means we're back on." he slyly wrapped an arm around her shoulder

* * *

Three teenage girls stood in a tight circle, cramped in a very small room.

It was cold,

dark,

and a little stinky.

"You couldn't find any other place to meet, could ya?" Ino muttered angrily.

Tenten scoffed. "Why don't you try finding a place where no one will ever bother to look. Oh, right. There ISN'T any." she narrowed her eyes. "So shut up and appreciate what you got, blondie."

Ino fumed.

"Will you two please stop it. Why are we here, Tenten?" Hinata shivered, wishing she had brought a jacket. "In the janitor's closet?"

"Yeah. What's so important that we just NEED to meet like this? I swear, if this isn't worth sneaking out of class for, then-"

Tenten sighed distressingly. "It's about the _Naruto_ situation."

Hinata's body instantly made an awkward twitch.

Ino opened her mouth. And closed it.

"I think that's worth skipping class, right?" the brunette whispered.

'Blondie' nervously cleared her throat. "What about Naruto?"

"Don't play dumb, Ino."

The janitor's closet fell into a deadly silence. Nobody bothered to make an attempt to say anything. Tenten herself couldn't conjure the words to speak.

"Okay. I like him." Ino was surprisingly the first to acknowledge.

"So do I." Tenten grudgingly admit.

Hinata's blush was vehemently red, but both Tenten and Ino knew their purple haired friend felt the same way. "It's just an attraction. We're teenagers; it comes and goes at an instant." Hinata tired reassuring them, and most importantly, herself.

"It probably is. This is the same situation...as the _Sasuke_ situation. We liked him, and we got over him because he chose Sakura." reminded Tenten.

"It's exactly the same!" Ino faked a smile.

"Or is it?" Hinata rested a hand on her beating chest.

"I don't even know anymore." Ino sadly admit.

"We hardly know him." Tenten reasoned. "We're only attracted to Naruto. Ino's right. It's _exactly_ the same situation."

Hinata suddenly perked up when a thought came to her. "Wait a minute. Tenten..." she looked at her friend with doubt in her white eyes.

"What?"

"You were a lesbian when we were chasing after Sasuke."

"Yeah. So?"

"You were only **pretending** to like Sasuke so people wouldn't know you're a lesbian."

"Hinata, what are you getting at? And by the way, Ino, I know you told everyone." the brunette glared at her blabbermouth friend, who only shrugged.

Hinata stared fiercely into Tenten's eyes. "It's _not_ the same. You REALLY like N-Naruto-kun. Therefore, this is a completely different situation. At least for you."

"Whoa! Hold on, Hinata." Ino interrupted the revelation, as Tenten looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"What is it?" asked the white eyed girl.

Ino gave her a suspicious frown. "You didn't really like Sasuke either. I have no idea why, but you only chased after him because all of us were."

Hinata's face went from brilliant red to pale white. "T-That's not true." she sputtered.

"It was kind of obvious. You were sort of our little follower before you actually became one of us." Tenten look at her friend sheepishly. She then gasped at Hinata's own revelation. "So this is a completely different situation for you too!" she accused her.

The Hyuuga heiress went back to flushing a million shades of red.

"And Ino!" Tenten crossed her arms.

"Me?"

"Duh! You basically only liked Sasuke for his good looks and cool attitude. And let's face it, you liked the competition. So why do you like Naruto?" Tenten interrogated her.

That was certainly something to think about.

Except, it seemed like Ino already knew her answer. "Well, because he's funny. He likes my socks. He's so easy to talk to. He's cute. He's crazy. He walks into a room and everything is, just, bright. And warm. He's..."

Uh oh.

The blue eyed girl looked down with guilt as soon as she realized her downfall.

"How long is that list?" Tenten asked, knowing very well there is no end.

"I've never felt this way about a boy. Ever." Ino was shocked by her own revelation.

"I know how you feel." Hinata placed a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder.

Ino felt her legs weaken, and she slowly fell to the ground, surprisingly not caring about the puke stains. "What are we going to do?"

Hinata and Ino desperately looked to Tenten...

Her chocolate brown eyes blazed with determination.

"I'll tell you exactly what we're going to do."

**To be continued...**

* * *

_A/N: I hope this will be enough to leave you guessing...BECAUSE IT'S HIATUS TIME! _

_I'm sorry everyone, it needs to be done! :'(_

_REVIEW and i'll let you know the exact day of the next update :D  
_


	8. Teenage Drama

This chapter is dedicated to my "special little someone" who died in the hospital March 4th 2011: RIP

* * *

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Eight: Teenage Drama

* * *

"Then I guess this means we're back on." Sasuke slyly wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulder.

She gently pushed his arm away.

"No. We're not." Sakura quietly told him.

"..."

Sasuke was in a state of shock; the only response he could conceive was merely gaping at her.

"I'm pretending to date Naruto." she explained. "But I'm not trying to make you jealous."

The Uchiha prodigy balled his fists angrily. "Then why else would you pretend to date that _loser_?"

Sakura felt as though her heart had been pierced. It offended her greatly when people insulted Naruto. "Don't call him that."

Sasuke scoffed.

"I'm serious, Sasuke. He's my friend."

"Does it look like I give a fuck?" he glared dangerously at her. "Just tell me this: why are you pretending to date him?"

Sakura looked away from his dark, enraged eyes.

"I can't tell you."

Neither of them spoke for a while after that, so Sasuke silently spent this moment collecting his cool.

The students (and Iruka) were still pressing their faces against the window,

obviously not very good at the eavesdropping thing...

"Fine." Sasuke ran a hand through his silky, raven locks. "Will you at least answer one question for me?"

Inwardly sighing, Sakura gave him a weary nod.

This was the first time she's ever seen Sasuke look so...human.

Real human emotions.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"..."

Sakura felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest!

Feelings for Naruto? The biggest so called 'loser' of Konohagakure high school?

Well, that was an easy question.

"Of course."

Sasuke didn't know much about emotions or feelings, but he knew Sakura genuinely meant that from her heart.

"Nothing is ever going to happen between us, Sasuke." she truthfully told him. "Because I really like Naruto..."

She couldn't help but smile.

"...and I don't want to pretend with him anymore."

Huh.

That hurt him more than he thought it would.

Sasuke stared down at her with resentment in his eyes. And not necessarily for her,

but for Naruto Uzumaki.

Without saying a word, he turned around and walked away. A few seconds after, Sakura walked away in the opposite direction.

"H-Hey!" Iruka's body quickly came flying out of the door. "Class isn't over yet!"

He angrily (and desperately) called out to Sasuke and Sakura.

"I HATE TEENAGERS!"

* * *

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and the perfect time to eat lunch with his favorite girl.

Ahem.

She is the _only_ girl he knows.

And well, there's Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, but..

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that label. His favorite girl.

Naruto sat at the usual table, already finishing his lunch before he even got there. He saw his _favorite_ girl at a distance, beaming at him when she caught sight of him.

"Hey, Naruto!"

"Sakura!" he drooled a river seeing how full her plate was. "You gonna eat that?" he eyed her fried chicken.

She immediately narrowed her eyes. "Yes." she grabbed the chicken and began devouring it.

Naruto gaped stupidly.

And he thought Ino was the pig...

Sakura Haruno obviously has many flaws; one of them being her sheer unwillingness to share.

"So..." she teasingly dangled the chicken skin in front of Naruto and stuffed it into her mouth. "...my grades are slowly improving."

Naruto ignored her cruel taunts and licked whatever substance of food left on his plate. "Congrats. Does this mean baa-chan will give you your car back? 'Cause I can't wait to get a ride to school for once." he said with excitement.

"No, unfortunately." Sakura sighed. "I still have a loooong way to go - oh hey, there's Hinata. HINATA!" she waved at her purple haired friend.

Hinata stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her best friend...

and then Naruto, who grinned cheerfully at her.

She hastily turned around and walked out of the cafeteria.

...

Sakura dropped her hand and fell into her seat. "That was weird."

Weird indeed.

"Yeah. What's up with her?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "In fact, what's up with all of them?" he crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"All of them?"

"You didn't notice? They've been avoiding us for a week!" he exclaimed in absolute confusion.

Wow.

Sakura hadn't noticed at all.

"I wonder why." she picked at her mash potatoes, not even bothering to eat it (which irritated Naruto to the ends of earth!)

"Are you gonna eat that?"

Sakura glared at him.

She shoved all of the mash into her mouth.

* * *

Walking alone in an empty hall, Hinata finally came to a halt and leaned breathlessly against the lockers.

"_It isn't easy, it it?_"

Hinata jumped in alarm.

She saw Ino and Tenten looking at her with sympathy in their eyes.

"Tenten." Hinata frowned. "I know you told us to go on as if everything is normal, but..."

Tenten nodded in frustration. "I know. I can't either."

"At least not around him." Ino sighed.

"We can't ignore them forever." reminded Hinata.

"Should we just suck it up and go in the cafeteria then?" suggested Ino.

All of a sudden, her stomach made a loud, growling noise that might as well have been heard within a one mile radius.

The silence discomforted Ino. "Because I'm hungry." she bashfully retorted.

* * *

With an irritated sigh, Naruto leaned against the palm of his hand and watched enviously as Sakura slowly took her time eating the rest of her lunch.

"Here." Sakura threw him an apple (she had already taken a bite out of).

He caught it with ease and a small glint of joy shined in his eyes. "I didn't know you were capable of sharing." Naruto happily chomped on the half eaten apple.

Sakura shrugged. "Your _patheticness_ got to me."

Naruto swallowed greedily. "So Satan does have a heart." he grinned.

"You know what, gimme my apple back." she reached in for Naruto as he quickly evaded her, laughing mischievously.

"_Ahem._"

A little peeved by the interruption, Sakura turned around and saw three girls standing uncomfortably near her.

Naruto blinked. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hi." started Hinata. "Can we sit here?"

Naruto gave her an odd look. "Do you even need to ask?"

"Yeah, what's with all the weirdness? Everything was fine a week ago, and _apparently_ you guys have been avoiding us since then." Sakura complained, eying her friends in suspicion.

Hinata, Ino, and Tenten looked at each other for a brief moment.

"We just think you two need time to yourselves." the brunette quickly explained, in lies!

"Yeeeaaah. You know? Couples need their space." Ino added, quite knowledgeably. "I had to remind Tenten because she obviously wouldn't know anything about this sort of thing."

Tenten restrained herself from retorting with a crude comeback.

"I guess that makes sense." Naruto mentally scratched his head, not really understanding anything at all. He threw Sakura a puzzled expression which she returned.

Casting aside their unusual circumstance, the three girls took a seat around the table and tried to act normal.

"Lunch ends in five minutes." Sakura casually checked her watch. "So what's the gossip?" she rubbed his hands together, revealing a frolicsome spark in her eye.

When Ino realized her pink haired friend was looking at her for answers, she froze. "Oh. Erm. I don't know." she shrugged in honesty.

Sakura's shoulders slumped with disappointment.

Ino was quite disappointed with herself as well. It's been a week; how could she not have gossip to share?

Even Hinata looked surprised.

Well, Ino had to think of something. "Uhh. Tenten is bisexual." she shrugged.

The brunette bi glared sharply at her soon-to-be-dead friend.

Sakura gasped. "Really? Since when?"

Saving her rage for later, Tenten turned to Sakura. "I thought you knew. I mean, I was into Sasuke, remember?"

Naruto nearly choked. "I hate that guy!"

Sakura scoffed at her friend. "You were obviously trying to hide the fact that you were a lesbian."

Hinata threw Tenten an '_I told you so_' look, which Tenten in return threw Hinata a '_Shaddap_' look.

"So who's the guy?" Sakura tore up a piece of bread and tossed it in her mouth.

Hinata and Ino looked away, staring at random objects.

"Well, I've actually just discovered my sexuality recently." Tenten blushed. Catching herself staring at Naruto, she mentally kicked herself. "It's really no one special."

"It has to be someone special!" Sakura said in excitement. "Whoever caught your 'former lesbian eye' must be really awesome."

Her face began to heat up purposely ignoring any eye contact with that 'special' someone.

"Oh, leave her alone, Sakura. It's obvious she's fallen for Edward Cullen just like the rest of us." said Ino in a pretend dreamy state.

"It's inevitable." said Sakura in a real dreamy state.

Tenten sighed gratefully. She secretly gave her blonde friend a '_Thank you, Ino. You saved my ass_' look.

Ino threw her a '_I know, your ass owes me_' look.

Tenten glared and threw her a '_Owe you what?_' look.

Ino's face beamed in superiority and threw Tenten a '_Something so super awesome, that even you won't be able to handle it_' look.

Tenten fumed and threw her a '_What about the time you peed your pants in the sixth grade and I ran all the way home just to get another pair for you?_' look.

Ino threw her a '_Oh, right. I forgot about that._' look.

Hinata threw both of them a '_Will you two shut up?_' look.

Sakura threw all of them a '_What the hell are you guys talking about?_' look.

In the meantime, Naruto sat quietly in the background watching everyone throw looks at each other in silence. He threw a '_I wonder what **bisexual** means? This is the second time Tenten brought it up; it must be something really cool. I better look it up when I go home._' look...

...apparently at himself.

* * *

Ah, Monday evening.

Naruto fell sluggishly on the couch and ran a hand through his smooth, blond hair.

It was the best feeling in the world knowing he could finally catch a break from school, work, and most importantly,

Sakura.

Well, truthfully, he didn't mind Sakura. He recently discovered the mere presence of her actually brightened his day. In fact, another thought occurred to him that tightened his gut in response.

He already missed her.

It's only been four hours since he's seen her, and he misses her!

Naruto tried to shake those outrageous thoughts away and closed his eyes to concentrate on other things.

Homework?

Psh. Yeah right.

KNOCK KNOCK

Immediately throwing himself up (and knocking down his lamp in the process), Naruto panicked when the color pink flashed through his eyes; his smile widened without even realizing it. The only person to ever knock on his door was Sakura,

and the landlord,

in which case he would have to pretend he's sleeping.

KNOCK KNOCK

Oh, what the hell.

Naruto hastily got on his feet, stumbling across the room to get to the door. As soon as he opened it, his face fell.

He wasn't expecting to see some huge, old guy with white hair and a perverted smile.

"Hiya!"

Naruto immediately closed the door in the old man's face.

"Hey!"

A few seconds later, Naruto sighed and opened the door again.

The 'old guy' frowned with both hands set firmly on his hips. "'Oh, hi, Ero-sennin! It's been so long. How are you? Come in. Want some porn?' is what your initial response should have been!" he threw his arms in the air and walked haughtily inside as Naruto moved aside. "Kids will break your heart." he grumbled all the way in.

"Why are you here?"

"Obviously not for the warm welcome. I missed my home town!"

"So how long are you sticking around this time?" Naruto crossed his arms.

Ero-Sennin, also commonly known as Jiraiya, made himself comfortable on the sofa and carefully examined the room. "I was thinking _forever_."

Naruto's face softened. "You're joking right?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I told you I would retire someday. Someday just so happens to be today."

A small part of Naruto still didn't quite believe what he was hearing. Still, this was a very nice surprise.

"Are you seriously living in this dump?" Jiraiya completed the examining process.

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"What happened to all the money I gave you? You should be living in a penthouse!" he bellowed.

"I spent it on hardcore porn and strippers."

Jiraiya looked pleasantly surprised. "Really?" he beamed proudly.

"I'm just pullin' your chain, old man! I anonymously gave it away to the animal shelter down the street."

Naruto raised an amused eyebrow witnessing Jiraiya's eccentric change of expression.

"What the shizzle-!"

"They seem to really need it." Naruto shrugged sheepishly when he saw the demented look on Jiraiya's face. "Besides, the rent here is reasonable and I'm a part time worker at Ichiraku Ramen. So life is pretty good."

After muttering a few incoherent complaints under his breath, Jiraiya sighed in defeat. "Whatever makes you happy, I guess."

All that money...gone. And not even on naked chicks. Damn kids really will break your heart!

"Thanks, Ero-sennin."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the sentiments." he said grumpily. "Seriously, where's the porn?"

"I don't have any!"

"Don't lie to me, boy!" Jiraiya hastily got up and began the treasure hunt. "Ah ha! The bedroom. Ohohoho..." he disappeared in Naruto's room.

Naruto sighed and leaned against the wall.

So the old man is back for good?

Haha! A good test subject to pull pranks on. Naruto grinned in mischief.

KNOCK KNOCK

With thoughts of Jiraiya moving back to Konoha, Naruto was slightly inclined to think of anything other than that. And that's a mistake he'll always regret.

When he opened the door, a pink blur walked passed him and into the mess of his living room.

"Gross. A pig wouldn't live here." the 'pink blur' kicked away the mounds of trash on the floor along with dirty clothes and bowls that smelled of ramen.

"S-Sakura!" Naruto nearly fell. "What are you doing here!"

Sakura glowered at him. "I told you before: I'm sleeping over tonight because Tsunade's got a ton of work to do at school and she won't be able to come home. I'll be home alone...like the movie."

"You didn't tell me that!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh." she smiled deviously and happily kicked aside every single entity that blocked her way.

"Oh? OH? Do you have any idea what kind of pervert is here right now? - okay, get out." Naruto forcibly lead her to the door.

"No, why?"

"Just get out!" He shouted apprehensively.

Sakura threw him an offended look. "Excuse me?"

"Hurry before it's too late!" he struggled to shove her out as she grabbed the frame of the doorway.

"Why are you acting weirder than usual!" Sakura exclaimed.

"No time to explain-!"

"_Naruto, where the hell is all the goshdarn porn in this - _" Jiraiya immediately stopped when he saw both Naruto and the image of a pink haired goddess...wrestling. "Ohoho!" he threw Sakura a perverted wink. "How YOU doing?"

Sakura gaped stupidly at the old man.

"Naruto, you were holding out on me!" he quickly went to Naruto's side and nudged him with an extremely proud look in his eye. "You're just like _me_ now."

Sakura watched Naruto literally fall to his knees when the white haired man said that.

"Don't be rude, you little brat. Introduce me!" Jiraiya wriggled his eyebrows at Sakura.

She coughed nervously and tried to think of ways to get pass the man without touching him. "I think I better go home now- "

"Nonsense! Let's make this a slumber party." the white haired man eyed her body up and down. "By the way, how old are you?"

Sakura was reluctant to say. "I just turned eighteen today."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Ah, legal." Jiraiya thanked the heavens.

"Okay, see ya." Sakura hurriedly made a move to walk out the door.

"Wait a minute." Naruto grabbed one of her shoulders, keeping her from anxiously getting away from the weird, old guy. "Why didn't you tell me today's your birthday?" he frowned at her.

"Um, I was going to surprise you, but now I want to leave." she looked at Jiraiya nervously as he undressed her with his eyes.

"Surprise me?"

"Yeah. I tell you it's my birthday, and you do whatever I want for the few hours I have you. Surprise!"

Naruto should have known it was going to be like that.

"Buuuut, we'll continue tomorrow." she laughed sheepishly and attempted to make a break for it as soon as Naruto's hand left her shoulder.

Creepy old guys freak her out.

"_I KNEW YOU'D BE HERE_!" another very familiar voice approached Naruto's door.

What the-

Everyone looked to see a busty, blonde, middle aged woman about ready to tear apart anything or anyone that got in her way.

"Where the fuck are all these people coming from!" Naruto mentally screamed.

"TSUNADE!" Sakura and Jiraiya simultaneously exclaimed in aghast horror, jumping at the sound of the woman's voice.

They looked at each other in bewilderment, then at Tsunade, and back to each other.

"You know Tsunade?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What does Tsunade want with you?" Jiraiya raised an equally curious brow.

"It looks like she's here to kill me. You?"

"Same here, I think."

"Who gives a shit about that!" Naruto shouted angrily. "You guys ruined my ramen pyramid!" he watched in devastation as his pyramid of ramen bowls collapsed to the ground the moment Sakura and Jiraiya simultaneously jumped.

When Tsunade angrily stomped into the room, Jiraiya and Sakura backed away together in fear.

"I don't know what happened the last time we saw each other, but just remember I was horny, deranged and stupid." the white haired man pleaded for his life.

"All of which you are today." Naruto added loudly.

"Don't kill me!" Jiraiya held his hands up to protect his face as Tsunade walked closer to him.

"Shut your face, jackass. This is between me and Sakura." Tsunade snapped.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, lord almighty." Just when he was about to let the poor girl suffer the fiery wrath of the big chested woman, he was unexpectedly aware of something. "Whoa, hold on just one minute." he interrupted just before Tsunade would scream her lungs out.

He carefully examined the teenage girl, and for the first time, in a non-perverted way.

"This is Sakura?"

Tsunade glared angrily. "Unfortunately."

"Little Sakura? The five year old bald kid who used to boss everyone around?" the old man questioned.

"That's her."

Jiraiya's entire mood dampened. "I suddenly feel like a dirty, old pedophile." he gagged.

Naruto stared at Sakura with wide eyes. "You were _bald_?...At five years old?"

She glared at him. "I didn't grow hair until I was six, okay."

'Wow' Naruto mouthed,

mentally pointing a finger at her and laughed.

Sakura seemed to notice the taunting glint in his eyes, and she was prepared to kill him no matter what the consequences.

For a moment, everyone stood around looking at each other in awkwardness.

"Hey, Tsunade, you were about to yell at little Sakura for no reason, right?" Jiraiya retorted unnecessarily.

Sakura once again gaped at the old pervert.

"Yes, I almost forgot. Thanks, jackass."

"You're welcome-"

"NOW WHERE WAS I-!"

"Wait!" Sakura held her hand up, indicating a stop. "Why are you mad at me? What did I do? Is this about my grades? And how did you know I'd be here?"

Tsunade narrowed her honey eyes at the innocent-looking orphan child. "I heard a little rumor going around in the teacher's lounge about your new boyfriend."

"Oh."

"That's right. And I'm here to say: WHY AM I ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW!" Tsunade threw her hands in the air.

Naruto cringed as the principal of Konohagakure high made that piercing cry. "You're mad because everyone knows but you?"

He didn't know Tsunade was so sensitive.

"Before I pound Naruto to the ground," Tsunade rubbed her aching temples. "let me ask you one thing." she turned to Sakura. "Why him?"

Her foster daughter gave her a curious look. "What's wrong with Naruto?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with me?" Naruto appeared to be offended.

Tsunade was clearly taken back. "Well...it's just..."

"I mean, I don't see a problem with this relationship. My grades are improving." said Sakura.

"And I'm coming to school everyday." added Naruto with a shrug.

"True, but-"

"So in reality, we're actually making each other...better." Sakura finished, amazed by her own statement.

Apparently, so was Naruto.

Tsunade was rendered entirely speechless. Jiraiya looked back and forth between the two young lovers.

Basking in their victory, the two teenage dreams smirked at each other.

DAMN KIDS!

"Tsuande, as always, it looks like you were angry for absolutely no reason." Jiraiya grinned charmingly. Feeling the full power of her oncoming explosive anger, he quickly pulled out several bottles of alcohol from his suitcase and presented them temptingly for Tsunade.. "How 'bout a drink?" he wriggled his eyebrows.

* * *

Jiraiya and Tsunade were all smiles and laughter after consuming a considerably large amount of alcohol, foreign to Tsunade's taste, yet very tasty.

"Hit me, baby! One more time!" Tsunade lifted her glass as Jiraiya anxiously poured in the contents from across the table.

All the while, Sakura and Naruto remained stiff in a sitting position between the two supposedly 'honorable high school principal' and 'critically acclaimed author of many novels'. Together, the two teenagers sipped on a cup of tea as they watched (unamused) as their drunk guardians flirted and screamed at each other.

"I love you, Tsunade-pooh-bear!"

"I hate you, jackass!" Jiraiya filled Tsunade's cup with more alcohol, and her face lit up. "Nah, I love you, too." she barked with laughter.

"Hey, remember when we got married in Vegas?" Jiraiya giggled.

Naruto choked on his tea.

Tsunade laughed. "That reminds me: we still haven't officially divorced yet."

Sakura choked on her tea.

The two 'siblings' looked at each other with wide and severely traumatized eyes.

"You know, we don't have to get divorced." Jiraiya shrugged, seemingly in a drunken trance.

Tsunade seemed to be caught in the same trance. "Okay." she shrugged. "Hit me again, baby!" she raised her glass.

"You guys are fucking married!" Naruto gripped his guardian's shoulders and shook him.

"Yup." the man hiccuped.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Sakura exclaimed.

"He's an embarrassment." the busty woman replied dully as she let out an earsplitting burp.

Sakura looked entirely disgusted. "And you're not?"

Tsunade and Sakura watched as Jiraiya wiped his nose on Naruto's shirt.

"HEY!" the boy waved a fist at him.

* * *

It was particularly nauseating watching your drunk guardian slobber and grope an equally drunk and slobber woman, who happens to be the guardian of your pretend-girlfriend. Not to mention they were lying on each other. Knocked out. And to make matters worse...snoring.

Naruto couldn't help but watch Jiraiya's drool fall slowly onto Tsunade's face.

Ewww.

Sakura was a little more entertained than he was. She pulled out an iPhone from her back pocket and took a picture of the scene before her.

"Gold. Pure gold." she smirked.

"You really are evil." Naruto replied as if it were no surprise at all.

Sakura shrugged happily and collapsed on the floor next to the two so called grown-ups. "So where are we sleeping tonight?"

Casting her a suspicious stare, Naruto tried not to look so shaken. "We?"

"We're going to sleep together." she demanded rather than stated.

Naruto was almost at a loss for words. "I'm sleeping in my room."

"Great, then I'll-"

"Sleep on the couch." he interrupted, nodding towards the beaten, old furniture.

Sakura frowned. "You can't be serious."

"See ya!" Naruto walked quickly into his room. He hastily shut the door leaving a very irritated girl behind.

Sakura huffed angrily and sat in silence. In her head, she created a number of devious schemes involving ways to get into Naruto's bed; there was just too much to choose from.

Meanwhile, Naruto shut the door behind him in haste. Blushing profoundly, he finally understood what it was like to have mentally rabid hormones! He nearly flew into his futon and pulled the covers over his head, hoping to calm himself down.

_'We're going to sleep together.'_

Was she crazy or something!

Stupid question; he always knew she was insane. But still!

"Naruto?"

Ahhh, speak of the devil!

Naruto forced himself to remove the covers and stared blankly at the girl standing over him.

Sakura smirked deviously. "Your face is really red. Are you okay?"

Naruto immediately sat up. "What do you want?"

A little rude, yes. But she's the devil, who cares!

"I'm sleeping in here tonight." she casually told him.

"I-I thought..." Naruto mentally punched himself for stuttering. "I thought we agreed you were going to sleep on the couch."

Sakura sighed. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?" Naruto eyed her suspiciously.

Noticing the shy and awkward look on her face, he immediately softened.

For a brief moment, Sakura merely stood there, pondering on what to say.

"I'm afraid of the dark." she coughed nervously.

Untrue.

She secretly hoped he would be moronic enough to fall for such a lame and false excuse.

"Not to mention Tsunade and Jiraiya's snoring is terrifying me."

That statement, unfortunately, was true.

Naruto gaped. _'The princess of darkness is afraid of the dark?'_ he thought in solitude as he watched Sakura shift uncomfortably. _'The snoring, I understand. But the dark?'_

Sakura raised her shoulders sheepishly. "...is it alright if I sleep next to you?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "I guess so." he flushed. "Hop in." he moved over, revealing a space especially for her.

_'Success!'_ Sakura smiled radiantly as she made her way toward the futon with a skip in her step. She eagerly slipped into the covers and smiled brightly, mentally squealing in delight.

She _should_ feel bad about lying. However, their relationship is based on a lie.

So she didn't.

Turning her head to see Naruto's reaction, Sakura realized his face was burning out of control. _'As it should be.'_ she inwardly nodded herself a job well done.

"You're sitting on my lap." said Naruto as soon as she looked at him.

Sakura looked down; indeed, she was sitting on Naruto's lap.

Blushing furiously, she muttered an apology and fell into her rightful place. The two teenagers lay themselves quietly without saying a word to each other. Staring blankly at the ceiling, Sakura wondered if it was the right time to confess her feelings. She turned her head once again and admired the view: a beautiful blond haired boy staring blankly at the ceiling just as she had, laying his hands gently behind his head. Even through darkness, she could easily see the sparkle in his bright, blue eyes.

Sakura stared in complete awe.

Naruto inwardly sighed. It would be nearly impossible to fall asleep knowing Sakura would be next door in the living room. However, with her sleeping right next to him...he'll be up all night. Looking up at the ceiling, he couldn't help but imagine...

Sakura's breasts.

He wanted to murder his thoughts! He refused to stoop to Jiraiya's level! Naruto shook his head as if all the perverted thoughts would fall out. When he finally laid his head at rest, he turned to his right to see emerald eyes staring straight into his.

His eyes widened.

Did she happen to hear his perverted thoughts? Ahhh! Perhaps he said them out loud without realizing it!

Suddenly, Sakura also appeared slightly panicked. "W-What?"

"You were looking at me-"

"So were you!"

"But...did you happen to hear...er, never mind!" he turned away, refusing to let her see his cheeks burn.

"What? Hear what!"

"Nothing!"

"Just tell me."

"No. Leave me alone." he pulled the covers over his head, unknowingly pulling it over Sakura's head as well.

Their eyes met once again and Naruto threw the sheets off in frustration.

"If you tell me what's on your mind," Sakura's eyes wandered away from him. "I'll tell you what's on mine."

Of course, there was no way in hell Naruto was going to tell her he was thinking about her breasts,

so he lied.

"Did you happen to hear..." he gulped nervously. "...about the new movie coming out this weekend?" he inwardly cringed away, hoping she won't see through him.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "No. And I don't care." she said, angrily disappointed.

Naruto sighed in relief.

"Okay, now tell me what's on your mind." he beamed at her.

"Yeah, right!" Sakura huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm not trading my juicy thoughts for your lame-ass one."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto complained, nudging her with his elbow. "I'll tell you something better next time."

"Hell to the no."

"Please?" his blue eyes sparkled.

Sakura once again stared in awe.

Damn him.

"Fine." she successfully pulled away from his gaze.

Sakura found herself constantly opening and closing her mouth, not entirely sure how to tell him her big revelation.

Why couldn't she conjure up the words? **I like you, let's date for real** - was all she had to say!

"I...like your shirt." she wanted to commit suicide. "And...it's real."

Nice.

Staring at her in confusion, Naruto looked down on his shirt in wonder. "Real?"

"Yeah, _real_." she wished someone would push her off a cliff.

He supposed the numerous food stains and tears looked pretty real to him, too. He teasingly narrowed his eyes at Sakura. "What's so juicy about that?"

She playfully nudged his shoulder.

After many minutes of silence, Sakura felt something squishy beneath her arm. She looked under her covers and stared down in surprise.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"What is..." she pulled a green and brown stuffed...thing...under the covers and presented it to his face. "...this?"

She almost laughed at his widening eyes.

"Give me that!" he forcefully grabbed it out of her hand and turned his back on her.

"Was that a stuffed animal?"

"Shut up."

"What's her name?"

"It's not a stuffed animal!...and it's not a girl!"

Sakura laughed hysterically while Naruto grumbled under his breath.

"What the fuck is that thing anyway? Is it really an animal? It looks like an deformed alien or something-"

"Shaddap! It's half frog half bear! I made him myself." he whispered darkly at her teasing smirk.

No wonder it looked hideous...but in an odd way, very cute.

"So it's a bearfrog."

"His name is froggy-bear." he glared at the wall.

Sakura smiled widely. "He's adorable."

Naruto forgave her.

He lifted himself up and walked to a beaten down dresser by his closet. Sakura sat up, wondering what he was up to. When he got what he wanted, he threw what seemed like another stuffed animal in Sakura's direction. She caught it with surprise and stared down at the 'thing'.

"Happy Birthday."

"What is it?"

"Half penguin half duck. I was really into halves." he scratched his head sheepishly. "I made it for you in the first grade. Never really had the courage to give it to you then." his tiny flush made her heart pound.

She looked down at the hideously beautiful thing and hugged it preciously against her chest. "Thank you." she smiled softly at him.

Best birthday ever_._

"I think I'll call her pengy-duck."

"Very funny."_  
_

* * *

On the way to their next class, Tenten and Hinata found Ino walking out the girl's bathroom in low spirits.

"Hey, Ino, what's wrong?" with genuine concern, Hinata grabbed a hold of her friend's arm.

Ino sighed. "I don't know."

Tenten gave her blonde friend a strict look. "You have to stop this, Ino. We just have to accept that Sakura and Naruto are...happily in love." she cringed at her own words. "We don't have a chance in hell, and we're not even going to think about it, okay?"

All of a sudden, Hinata's spirits began to damper as well.

"Oh, Hinata." Tenten whimpered.

"I can't help but feel..." the purple haired girl began. "...if I spoke to him first, maybe-"

"Hinata!" the brunette scolded. "How could you even - Sakura is our best friend!"

The three walked silently and somberly through the halls of Konohagakure High School.

"I'm sorry." Hinata whispered quietly.

Feeling immensely guilty, Tenten opened her mouth to apologize.

"Well, there they are." Ino whispered, nudging her head toward the 'cute couple', standing outside of Kakashi's classroom. The three girls watched longingly, hidden by the corner.

Apparently, Naruto and Sakura were unaware of their presence and this seemed to ease the girls.

"We're just going to go up there and be genuinely happy for them, alright?" Tenten commanded as a true leader should. "No more of our sulking and brooding."

"No. Of course I'm happy for Sakura." Hinata convinced herself. "She found the perfect boyfriend."

"And she deserves him." Ino couldn't take her eyes away from Naruto's face.

Tenten nodded, satisfied. "Okay, let's go and-"

_"I think we should tell them we're secretly dating, Sakura. They're our friends."_

Hearing those words come out of Naruto's mouth, Ino quickly pulled Tenten back in the corner.

_"I know. I really want to, but..."_

_"You're afraid they'll tell people?"_

_"No."_

_"You don't want to share the luck, dontcha?"_ they watched as Naruto sighed.

_"Hehe."_

_"You were always this selfish, weren't you?"_

_"So what? I need the luck more than they do; their grades are fine."_

In silence, Tenten and Hinata looked at each other for a brief moment in confusion while Ino also looked confused as to how her grades were any better than Sakura's.

"I'm the one who's failing three classes-" Ino whispered.

"Shhh!" Tenten and Hinata simutaneously glared at the blonde.

_"I still feel guilty, and they're acting really weird around me..."_ Naruto scratched his head. _"Do you think they already know we're **not really** dating?"_

Hinata covered her mouth to conceal a tiny gasp.

_"I don't know."_ Sakura looked moderately worried, however she grasped Naruto's hand reassuringly. _"But we'll talk about this later. Class is going to start any second now."_

He nodded.

_"Lucky kiss?"_ she lifted her shoulders and smiled shyly.

Naruto beamed at her.

The moment he pressed his lips against Sakura's, the three beauty queens looked away in complete and utter shock.

Secretly dating?

Lucky kiss?

They felt the intense rush of various emotions: confusion, anger, relief, happiness...

However the most dominant of them all was most definitely

anger.

Sakura has a lot of explaining to do...

* * *

_A/N: I made this chapter extra long because I felt sorry for those of you who were dying to read this chapter - SORRY GUYS!  
_


	9. Friends, Rivals, Enemies

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Nine: Friends, Rivals, Enemies

* * *

Sakura had always been very much aware of the dangers of high school bathrooms. So aware, she would never dare to step foot in one. The pee on the floor was one thing, but the smell was just plain lethal. Unluckily, the bathrooms were the only location which provided a mirror...

and for some reason, Sakura seemed more aware of her looks than she did the smell and the wet floors.

What was the reason for this obsessive vanity?

Well she had to look good, right?

Normally, Sakura didn't have a care in the world how she looked to the public (mainly because she already knew she looked 'smokin' hot').

But now she has a 'boyfriend' to impress. And this isn't just some regular teenage boy...

This is Naruto.

Sakura wiped the lip gloss violently off her lips after realizing she hadn't applied it on right. Frustration consumed her as she looked at her appearance in the mirror.

She realized right then and there that she would never step foot in the girl's bathroom for Sasuke...

But for** Naruto** of all people!

She also realized how big her forehead was.

"I can't believe I want to look better for him." she muttered softly, still staring at her reflection.

"_I can._"

In a slightly frightened gasp, Sakura turned around and found Tenten standing firm with arms crossed.

Funny. She looked a little angry.

"Oh, hey, Tenten." Sakura turned to face mirror once again. "Do you think my forehead is a little big?" she slumped in discontent, continuously poking her forehead with a frown. "I don't want people thinking 'eww, what's Naruto doing with that freaky forehead girl?', you know what I mean?"

If Tenten wasn't so concerned with how angry she was, she would have been stupefied by Sakura's odd statement.

"I can't believe you lied." Tenten glared with annoyance in her voice. "How could you not tell us you and Naruto AREN'T really dating! What the hell is going on here!" she stomped in explosive rage. "And your forehead is fuckin' HUGE! I thought we dealt with this years ago! It's FREAKISHLY HUGE! It's HUGE ASS, alright!"

Sakura looked at her in aghast.

A long twenty seconds passed before the pink haired girl would begin to recuperate.

"Well, sheesh. You don't have to be so mean about it. I can't help being born with an abnormally large forehead." Sakura frowned, placing a firm hand on her waist.

Tenten blinked, _almost_ forgetting her anger. "Seriously?"

Sakura looked into the mirror and her spirits fell...no, they died.

"YOU AND NARUTO AREN'T DATING!" Tenten roared furiously. "You lied to your best friends!"

Still staring at the mirror with intense focus on her forehead, she lightly brushed off Tenten's comment. "I'm sorry, but I was desperate."

"What the hell are you talking about? You were desperate to date Naruto?"

"Well, yeah." she slumped even more, frowning at her **stupid** forehead.

"WHY!"

Sakura wasn't so thrilled about Tenten's earsplitting screams, but it was well deserving. She really did feel bad...but her main concern was her **dumb** forehead.

"I needed to improve my grades."

Tenten wanted so hard to knock the sense out of Sakura. "How is pretending to date Naruto even relevant to improving your grades?"

"He's a lucky charm."

...

...

...

"Oh well. I guess he'll just have to accept me the way I am." shrugged the defiant pink haired girl. "Cause baby, I was born this way."

Lost. Tenten was so lost she forgot about her anger completely. She had no idea how to respond.

"His kiss brings me good grades." Sakura casually retorted.

"..."

"And it's easier to kiss him when people think we're dating...I mean, let me tell ya, it takes a lot more than one kiss a day to-"

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Tenten wasn't pleased by her friend's obvious and pathetic lie.

Sakura rolled her eyes, not expecting her brunette friend to believe her anyway. "How do you explain the straight A's on ALL my tests and quizzes, hmm?"

At that statement, Tenten believed Sakura 75%.

"But...Naruto's kiss?"

"Yup. I was devastated at first."

"Is it even possible?"

"Tenten. The proof are my straight A's."

The brunette still wasn't 100% sure she could believe her. "Well, you're smart, Sakura (or at least you used to be). I'm sure you studied-"

"Not even a little."

Neither teenagers exchanged words for a brief period of time.

Tenten couldn't believe what she was about to say.

"I'm actually..."

Sakura leaned in closer, expecting to be forgiven for lying.

"...failing biology."

What the-

The girl who selfishly kept all the luck for herself snapped her head back, already realizing Tenten's intentions. "No way!"

"Why not! You're not even really dating him!"

Sakura skittishly stumbled on her words. "I...that's not...but...SO!"

"SO I think you owe it to me to_ share._" Tenten nervously played with the ends of her skirt, still blushing furiously.

"What are people going to say when they see you kissing MY boyfriend?"

"Weeeell..." Tenten's eyes sheepishly darted elsewhere. "...he could be my boyfriend too."

In Sakura's deepest thoughts, she knew inner Sakura was currently busy ripping inner Tenten's silly buns off her head. "But you're a lesbian."

"Bisexual." the brown eyed girl corrected. "You lied to us, Sakura. And I don't need your permission to get an A in biology."

"It's HOW you get the A I'm concerned about!"

The two so called 'best friends' stared heavily into each others eyes. Sakura imagined Tenten with her ridiculous, bisexual lips on Naruto; it was hard to miss the jealous outrageous emotion in Sakura's face.

Tenten didn't care. She also didn't know why she was giving into this lucky charm nonsense, but deep inside her heart she knew this was her only chance to get closer to blond-boy-wonder without being accused to stealing her best friend's supposed boyfriend.

She waited patiently for the verdict.

* * *

"Do you really expect us to believe this bullshit?"

"Lucky kiss? How is that even possible?"

Sakura casually picked a fork into the 'mystery meatloaf' and shrugged. "I'm not joking. If you don't believe me, then fine."

"Guys, let's have an open mind here. Did you really think she managed to get straight A's on EVERY single test in all these months?" Tenten defended.

That definitely got Hinata and Ino thinking.

Sakura eyed all of them, a little insulted. But eventually shrugged agreeably.

"After an entire year of failing nearly every class?"

Hmm. It was a tiny bit suspicious. Still...the thought of Naruto's kiss being lucky...

Hinata and Ino looked at each other.

...actually excited them.

"You know what? This is perfect timing. I'm failing horribly in Kakashi's history class!" Ino immediately beamed, eyes shining radiantly like the sun.

Initially looking pleasantly surprised, Sakura smiled. "Cool, so was I...hey, wait a minute, don't tell me you-!" Ino pressed a tight hand against Sakura's mouth as she struggled against her. Her muffled cry was ignored by all three of her fanatically, giddy friends.

"Oh! And did I tell you? I get to be Naruto's girlfriend, too! Sakura said I could!" Tenten squealed.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was forced to hear.

Hinata sighed dreamily in her palm. "I'm getting a B in AP psychology. I always wanted an A."

Removing Ino's hand, Sakura's face fell "Not my sweet, little, Hinata..."

The moment all four girls caught sight of a blond, blue-eyed boy walking towards them, they immediately ceased talking.

"Guess what? I helped the lunch lady unpack the frozen meatloaf earlier, and she gave me a entire chocolate cake!" Naruto grinned boyishly, placing the scrumptious cake onto the table. "Dig in!" he pulled out five forks out of nowhere.

No one seemed to be as excited as he was, and Naruto thought they were all insane.

Chocolate cake is awesome.

He noticed that their eyes were fixed on random objects and their faces were flustered with traces of what seemed to be excitement.

"What's going on?" Naruto especially had his eyes set on Sakura; she was the only one who looked downright frustrated.

For a while, she didn't seem to want to answer.

Ino nudged her, and she sighed heavily.

"They know."

Naruto gasped angrily. "You told them about my secret froggy-bear!"

Tenten, Hinata, and Ino threw Naruto an odd look.

"Erm, no."

Birds chirped.

"Oh." Naruto snorted, hiding his humiliation. "I was kidding! There's no froggy-bear."

Yeah, right.

"I told them our secret..." Sakura shifted uncomfortably. "...about how I magically started getting good grades."

0.0

"Oh...that." Naruto stared blankly into space, feeling four pairs of eyes fixated on him only. "Well," he shrugged. "at least we got that out of the way." he said, standing up and attempting to walk away with his cake in hopes of eating it by himself.

"Ohhh, not so fast, _lucky charm_." Ino and Tenten pushed him back down, each with a hand placed firmly on his shoulder.

Naruto inwardly gulped.

Sakura inwardly gaped.

"You're not getting away that easily." Ino eyed him seductively and ran a slick finger down his clothed chest. "I think it's time to show the world you don't belong to only **one** girl."

Naruto literally gulped.

Sakura literally gaped.

And there it was.

The entire Konoha High Cafeteria knew; Ino grabbed Naruto's collar by both hands and pulled him in for a 'lucky' kiss. It was deep and passionate, at least for Ino. For the first time since everyone saw Sakura, the goddess of Konoha high school, walking hand-in-hand with an unwanted outcast, the cafeteria fell into a deadly silence.

Naruto struggled against her, and when she finally let go, he nearly fell out of his seat...

in fact he did.

He stared up at the blonde vixen, thoroughly stupefied.

The moment Ino let go, everyone went into a frenzy! Constant whispers, shouts of wild excitement, looks of shock and wonder...

And then it was Tenten's turn.

Silence again.

Immediately after the brown eyed girl was done, Hinata eagerly went in for the next kis.

For the first time in his life, Naruto knew he had absolutely no chance of defending himself. They each attacked his lips with brutal force.

Was it always going to be like this?

He looked at Sakura and saw her picking at her food. Her expression was unreadable. It was like she didn't have a care in the world.

And that hurt him.

After the three knockouts had their turn with Naruto, they sat down a lot chipper than they had been in a very long time.

So...

four girlfriends, huh?

* * *

"DID YOU JUST SEE THAT!" Kiba had what felt like a heart attack, watching the four goddesses and Naruto leave the cafeteria immediately after the scene.

Shikamaru, Neji, and the gang couldn't speak.

They didn't think anything would surprise them after Sakura and Naruto started dating...

but wow.

This was too much for a normal teenage boy to mentally process.

"What the hell is Naruto doing _right_?" Kiba seemed to be the only one able to formulate words, as he usually was.

They listened in on the comments and conversations of others around them, not entirely able to conjure up one of their own.

"_I think I hate him even more now...or, I don't know, I might just LOVE him._" said a random boy, confused by his mixed feelings.

"_The four most beautiful girls I've ever seen...making out with Naruto!_" said another.

"_You know what? I admire him. Naruto's not like Sasuke, a born lady-killer. He started an outcast. Average Joe. Like the rest of us!_"

"_And you know what this means: we still have hope!_"

"_Yeah!_" everyone seemed to be in cahoots.

"_It seems like Sasuke lost to an outcast._"

"_Sasuke who?_" they laughed.

The gang sat quietly around the table (with the exception of Kiba, who was still freaking out).

"'Sasuke who?' indeed." Shikamaru's eyes reddened by widening it so much.

"Is Naruto the new Sasuke?" Chouji asked innocently.

Neji rubbed his chin. "No."

Everyone around the table looked at him.

"Naruto is even _better_." the white eyed boy watched everyone around him praise and cheer for the new, **hot** commodity.

* * *

He couldn't believe this was happening.

Was this some kind of weird, sick nightmare?

How could those she-devils agree to **share** him? Like a piece of meat!

He felt so used.

While Naruto patiently waited outside under a shady tree, a hand full of boys stopped by just to give him a congratulatory hi-five. He understood the sudden impact of admiration and respect,

but he still found his situation quite irritating.

"_Dude_."

Naruto jumped a little in surprise when he heard a familiar voice sneaking beside him. He turned his head to the side and blinked.

"Inuzuka?"

"Call me Kiba, _your majesty_." Kiba comically bowed down.

Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, and Shino grinned simultaneously.

"Came here to give me a hi-five?" Naruto raised his hand.

"And more!" Kiba slapped it.

"Uzumaki..." said Neji with a shiny glint of reverence in his eye. "...at this point, you're cooler than Sasuke Uchiha."

So far, Naruto liked what he was hearing.

"A hundred times cooler!" Chouji exclaimed with admiration.

"We've been waiting years for a guy like you to show that ass up." Shikamaru also hi five'd Naruto.

"You are the chosen one." said Shino.

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's kinda extreme, isn't it?"

Shino stared seriously at the blond mischief.

"Naruto-kun! Please accept our invitation to hang out with us." Lee did a nice-guy thumbs up.

Wow.

Taken back, Naruto stared surprisingly at the bushy browed boy.

This was the first time he's ever been invited...anywhere.

"Are you serious?"

Shikamaru gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Why would we joke around? We like you, Uzumaki."

Naruto studied their faces and realized this was no joke. They honestly wanted to be his friend.

He shrugged and pretended not to look so touched. "Yeah, sure."

They grinned.

"When and where?"

Kiba was the first to respond. "Now. We're heading to the bowling alley."

"Now?" Naruto sighed, looking elsewhere. "I can't." he said guiltily, seeing the clear disappointment in their faces. "Sakura and I walk home everyday after school...there she is now." he said, nodding toward a beautiful pink haired girl having a last minute conversation with the other three goddesses by the school entrance.

The dog lover laughed, nudging Naruto with his elbow. "We understand."

"I'd drop everything to walk Sakura-san home, too." said Lee, staring at the girl with a gaping mouth. He and Chouji admired the way the sunlight bounced off of Sakura's cotton candy pink hair.

"Alright. Next time for sure." said Shikamaru.

"See you later, Uzumaki." said Neji with a nod.

Naruto returned the nod.

The moment they were out of sight, he smiled softly to himself.

* * *

On their way home, Sakura noticed how unusually silent her loud mouth pretend-boyfriend was. He was clearly not speaking to her, and even more surprising, he refused to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'"

"Are you mad?"

"No."

Sakura raised an amused eyebrow. "I'm sorry I ate the last piece of your cake."

"It's not about that!" Naruto steamed.

Although deep down inside, he was a little mad about that.

"Then what is it?" she slyly slipped her arm around his.

He shrugged her off, only slightly agitated this time. "Are you really okay with..._sharing_ me?"

Sakura walked silently along the sidewalk. She observed the faint flush on his face, his body was stiff, and he rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously.

Of course she wasn't okay with it! She was plain livid!

"Why wouldn't I be?" she pretended to be indifferent. "It's not like we're really going out."

Although for a while, it felt like they were really together. For a while, both considered themselves a real couple.

They felt their hearts sink.

"And like you said before, I'm selfish. I need to change, and who better to share the luck with than my best friends?" she shrugged lightly.

Naruto nodded his head, pretending to enjoy his situation. "That's right. I get to date the four most beautiful girls in school."

"Right." Sakura secretly glared at him.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to kiss Ino." Naruto said thoughtfully. "She's a bit feisty."

Sakura loudly cleared her throat.

"Hinata, too. That surprised me-"

"Okay, whatever!" Sakura quickly walked in front of him.

Naruto stared after her and blinked. "What?" he quickly caught up, grinning and laughing.

"Shut your face."

"You're not **jealous**, are you?"

"That's it, we're not friends anymore."

"Aw, come on!"

"Get away!"

"Saaaakuuuuraaaa!"

"Hey, Naruto, what's that?" Sakura pointed a finger above Naruto's head.

The instant he looked up, he felt someone yanking his blond hair.

"OW-!"

His winced painfully in response and saw the slender girl in uniform running away, laughing evilly from afar.

"H-Hey!" Naruto sputtered, running after her.

The couple walked the rest of the way home trying to out-annoy one another. They were in much higher spirits despite all the trouble to come.

* * *

That night, Sakura lay restless on her bed, staring up at the blank ceiling.

Oh, how she'll hate tomorrow...

She couldn't stop thinking about what happened today in the cafeteria. She clenched her teeth, replaying the scene over and over in her head. All she could think of was her three best friends laying their lips on Naruto! For the first time in her life, she really hated them.

No. She could never hate them.

Unfortunately, she loved them too much.

This was all her fault anyway.

Sakura heard something vibrating on her bed and she looked on her side to see her cell phone light up.

Speaking of the one of the devils...

"Hey, Tenten."

"_Hey, girly. Watcha up to?_"

"Oh, nothing. I'm ready to fall asleep." she lied, faking a yawn.

"_It's only seven. Oh, by the way, you're on speaker phone._"

"_Hi, Sakura._"

"_Hey, hey, hey, girlfriend!_"

She heard an excellent Fat Albert impression.

She also heard Ino and Hinata giggling on the other line.

"_We're having a sleep over. I called to force you to get off your butt and come over._"

"Sorry. I'm kinda tired and I really don't feel like walking to your house."

"_Come on, lazy-ass! We don't need another Shikamaru in this world._" Ino shouted.

"You sure like to degrade Shikamaru a lot, don't you?" Sakura raised a rather poignant statement.

"_Well, Shikamaru is Shikamaru. His laziness irritates me. Now are you coming over or not?_"

"_I'll paint your nails, Sakura._" offered Hinata in a sweet, inviting voice.

The pink haired girl smiled softly. "No, thanks."

All three complained.

"_Fine. But we need to talk about a few things before you go to sleep._" said Tenten.

"Alright. Hit me."

"_About the lucky kiss._" she started. "_I can't believe it actually worked! I convinced Ebisu-sensei to grade the quiz I took today, and I aced it!_"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's not surprising. Ebisu does teach _Health education_. The easiest class ever."

"_Still..._"

"_Oh, I can't wait to take a test!" _Sakura glared dully at the ceiling when she heard Ino's voice.

More like she couldn't wait to kiss HER boyfriend!

_"Why do you always get tested, Sakura!_" she felt Ino's frustration.

"I guess I'm just lucky." Sakura sarcastically remarked.

"Okay, now comes the really important question." said Tenten.

There was a pause. Sakura sat up and anxiously waited, sensing the importance in her friend's voice.

"_Is there a chance...that you might..._" Tenten paused again.

"What? That I might what?"

Even Hinata and Ino stopped their giggling; there was only silence.

"_That you might **like** Naruto?_"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably. "Of course I like Naruto. He's my friend."

"_You know what I mean._"

Now it was Sakura's turn to pause. Although that pause said it all; she could almost hear Tenten, Hinata, and Ino sighing on the other side.

"A little." she lied.

"_Sakura..._"

"Okay, a lot!" the pink haired girl collapsed entirely on her bed in frustration. "And now I can assume all three of you like him a lot, too. Am I right?"

"_Yeah, we do._" they sounded guilty.

Sakura wanted to hit something.

"So what are we going to do about it?"

She heard Hinata's voice. "_We've been thinking about it and..._"

"Yes?"

"_We think we should compete for him._" Ino's uneasy voice replied.

Sakura tapped her fingers against her stomach. "Compete?"

"_Yeah._" said Tenten. "_Just like Sasuke. A friendly, clean competition. No dirty tricks._"

"Just like Sasuke." Sakura repeated softly.

Why did she have a feeling this competition wasn't going to be 'just like Sasuke'. Sakura always felt her three best friends never truly tried hard enough to win Sasuke's affection. The win was easy. For some odd reason, in the pit of her stomach, she knew this was going to be different, and in their minds as well.

They were going to have to play dirty...

This is Naruto they're talking about.

"Fine with me."

Bring it on.

* * *

_A/N: I really, really, really like reviews :D  
_


	10. Playing Dirty

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Ten: Playing Dirty

* * *

She was late.

This is the first time she's been late in...well, a really long time!

Sakura panted heavily and stopped in front of her first class. She peeked into the window and realized Kakashi had already started the lecture.

"Dammit." she fumed in silence, wondering if it would be wise to skip the first period today. If there happened to be a pop quiz, she'd be screwed. And just when her grades were finally super decent...

Surprisingly, her academic situation wasn't the only thing that worried her. In fact, at this moment, she wasn't worried about it at all. The only thing on her mind was:

Naruto.

That damn idiot didn't have a cell phone, so calling him wasn't an option.

Where could he have gone?

She waited, for what seemed like years, for him at their usual rendezvous. Sakura's anger slowly disintegrated imagining the blue-eyed boy getting into some kind of accident that would prevent him from walking her to school today.

Otherwise, who in the whole fuckin' world would ditch Sakura Haruno?

"Sakura, you've been standing out there for fifteen minutes. Why don't you come in?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura's eyes caught Kakashi staring smugly at her, hearing the scattered laughter of her classmates behind him. He held the door open for her as she sheepishly and awkwardly walked inside.

As soon as she sat down, still shaken about Naruto's unexpected disappearance, Kakashi stood in front of the classroom and smiled.

"Put away your textbooks, guys. You're takin' a pop quiz."

Everyone groaned while Kakashi looked like a bubbly kid on Christmas day.

Sakura mentally screamed.

Either Naruto was lying dead out there somewhere...

...or he soon will be.

* * *

Sakura walked out of Kurenai's Spanish class in low spirits. She still couldn't believe how horrible she did on the pop quiz in history.

There's no explanation as to why Naruto stood her up.

He must be dead.

Sakura walked solemnly to her next class: math with Asuma. She was sure Asuma hadn't announced any tests or quizzes to be taken today, but who really knows? She really didn't feel the need to pay attention after finding her lucky charm.

And now that lucky charm was dead on the streets. Or alive elsewhere.

Either way, he's dead.

Sakura glanced briefly into Asuma's window and searched eagerly for a soon to be dead man. Her eyes caught a blond haired, blue eyed boy sitting casually next to a purple haired girl who had a certain glow about her. Sakura watched Naruto exchange words with Hinata as if he had forgotten a smokin' hot pink headed girl had been waiting for him at the brick wall for hours!

She balled her fists and glared angrily at the sight before her.

Her white eyed rival giggled girlishly at something Naruto said as he grinned in accomplishment.

And they were eating Hinata's famous double fudge brownies!

Without her!

That jerk is going to die.

* * *

When Naruto caught sight of Hinata sitting by herself, he smiled and quickly found a seat next to her.

"What's up, Hinata?"

The girl blushed. "Hi, Naruto-kun. How was your day so far?"

"I'm not really sure." he scuffled his blond hair, staring up at the ceiling deep in thought.

Hinata was mesmerized.

"I'm really worried about Sakura. I haven't seen her all day..." he slumped in his seat, genuinely concerned for the emerald eyed girl. He couldn't help but wonder if something horrible happened to her.

Hinata visibly admired his sincerity. "She's fine. I received a text from her during second period."

Naruto grinned boyishly. "I should really get a cell phone, huh?"

The white eyed girl giggled. "I'll help you find one this weekend if you're free?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me."

Hinata's heart immediately skipped a beat. "Okay. It's a date." her blush increased.

Naruto only smiled and wandered to his deep thoughts again. His eyes darted to the door, hoping to see Sakura walk through it.

"You really like her, don't you?" Hinata leaned against her palm in a slightly somber state.

Still keeping a look out for Sakura, he scoffed rather loudly. "She's mean, selfish, and vain."

"You didn't answer my question."

Naruto blushed, finally turning to see Hinata's dejected expression. Being a natural born oblivion, he hadn't noticed. Naruto shrugged dishearteningly and his beautiful blue eyes stared into Hinata's.

She couldn't look away even if she wanted to.

He flicked a crawling bug on his desk (while Shino watched in horror on the other side of the room). "And what if I did? She doesn't think of me like that anyway." his emotional confession pierced Hinata's heart.

They sat in a moment of solitude not entirely sure what to say to one another.

Hinata fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's true."

Naruto twirled his pencil, pretending he wasn't listening.

"Sakura doesn't think of you that way." Hinata felt her gut twist the moment she uttered that lie. However, she knew it was the only way she could ever stand a chance. She really wanted Naruto to be _her_ boyfriend. Her _real_ boyfriend. Right then and there, she felt like the lowest scum of the earth. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. She told me herself."

The boy who sparked a fire in the hearts of four goddesses shrugged as if he didn't care. "So..." Naruto successfully managed to fake a wide grin. "...are those brownies I see in your bag?"

Grateful for the change of subject, Hinata smiled. "Mmhm. I made it for desert-"

"Great!" he leaned in to grab some.

She pulled away and smiled teasingly at him. "After lunch, silly."

"I can't wait that long, the smell is killin' me!" Naruto pretended to whine.

Hinata couldn't believe how easily Naruto affected her. Melancholic one moment and joyful the next?

She would fight for him to the end.

"Okay. But only one." She watched delightfully as Naruto quickly extended his arms and grabbed a whole bunch of brownies.

"Naruto-kun!" she giggled.

They enjoyed eating the rest of the brownies and talked excitingly about cell phones and the joys of texting (which Naruto had no clue about).

"_Ahem._"

Naruto and Hinata looked up to see a raging pink haired girl glowering down at them.

"Hey, Sakura! What's up?" Naruto grinned, happy to see she really was okay.

Inner Sakura ripped Inner Naruto's balls off.

What's up? Oh, she'll tell him what's up!

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE NOT DEAD-!"

"Alright, everyone! Let's take a seat." Asuma announced nervously, obviously frightened by Sakura's outburst. "It's time to take the chapter twenty-four test."

What the fuck?

Sakura looked down at Naruto and back at Asuma.

"What?"

"I said...erm...take a seat."

"No. After that."

"You're taking a test today?"

This was the second time Sakura mentally screamed today.

"Why!"

The math teacher flinched. Asuma Sarutobi wasn't afraid of anything. In fact, he was known as being the bravest man on campus. He cliff dives, bungee jumps, flies out of airplanes, kills spiders (for the sexy ladies), and many more! However, he couldn't help but feel a chill every time Sakura Haruno glared at him. Just a tiny, pink headed, teenage girl.

Sure, she's very easy to along with, and even quite pleasant to talk to when in a calm state of mind,

but today she looked like a wild beast.

The 'brave' man shuddered.

"I'm a hundred percent sure I warned everyone last week-"

"I'm a billion percent sure you didn't." she emitted a dark aura.

Asuma's heart stopped.

He was so scared...

Aside from his cowardice, Asuma considered Sakura's statement and it didn't surprise him. All that girl ever did these days was pass notes to Naruto in the back of the classroom. Naruto looked fairly surprised as well, minus the angry reaction. That boy wouldn't care to take a test if his life depended on it.

Asuma sighed not looking forward to hear Sakura complain.

Growling silently in frustration, Sakura stared down at Naruto with a certain look in her eye. He stared back and leaned as far as he could in his chair.

He knew that look all too well.

Sakura grabbed his hair in a fit of rage and pulled him up, smashing her glossy lips onto his.

The room fell silent. Asuma considered interrupting the obscenity, but let's face it,

that Sakura Haruno would beat his ass.

It was a very angry kiss. One that involved Sakura forcefully slipping her tongue into Naruto's mouth. He willingly obliged and returned the favor, but it unfortunately didn't last long when he felt a sharp stab at the tip of his tongue. He quickly pulled away and stared at her in aghast horror.

She bit him!

She actually bit him!

Sakura threw him an evil glare and shoved him lightly out of the way choosing to sit on the opposite end of the room.

"..." Asuma and the classroom stared back and forth between the distant couple. "O-Okay..." he cleared his throat, bringing everyone to his attention (or at least tried to). "Let's start the test."

Naruto fell into his chair tasting the blood slide against his tongue. It didn't really hurt...

but damn!

He boldly turned his head and saw Sakura cross her arms angrily, still in a wild state of furry.

What the hell did he do to make her so angry?

* * *

Sasuke was equally as shocked as his classmates after Sakura stormed away from Naruto as soon as she was done 'attacking' him.

He was puzzled.

Why is she so angry?

If she's so angry, why did she kiss him?

He hated being so puzzled! He felt weak and useless. What was he if not intelligent?

Sure, he still had his unbelievably godlike looks.

But obviously he'd rather be a good looking smart ass than a good looking dumb ass.

He just couldn't figure her out.

Sasuke leaned against his chair and wondered what could have possibly caused her madness?

* * *

"That was a dirty trick, Ino."

"Whatever. All is fair in love and...something."

"I didn't even have a chance to get my luck! You stole him away the moment you put your stupid, clingy hands on him."

The blonde snorted loudly. "Oh, that's real keen of you. You're the one who forced Naruto to walk you to school so early in the morning! Not to mention you lied and told him Sakura didn't want him to wait up for her."

Tenten fumed. "It's not like you were eager to stop me."

Momentarily looking back several hours ago, Tenten remembered waking up extra early knowing Naruto would be standing by the usual wall so early in the morning.

Unfortunately, Ino knew as well.

The blue eyed girl successfully ignored the comment. "Anyway..." she coughed in discomfort. "I need the luck more than you do. I'm the one failing most of my classes!"

Tenten's eyes darkened. "Luck shmuck. You just want to kiss Naruto."

Ino placed her arms on her hips. "Okay, fine. I want to kiss my _boyfriend_. What's wrong with that?"

"Only that he's NOT your real boyfriend."

"Not yet anyway..." Ino pestered.

"Not ever!"

Just when Tenten and Ino were about to engage in a violent cat-fight, they saw Sakura walking (or more like stomping) her way towards them. She slammed her plate of lunch onto the table and sat in between her two best friends.

"H-Hey, Sakura. How are you?" Tenten looked away shamefully.

After taking a second to bask in her anger, Sakura turned to Tenten and let out a frustrated growl. "It's Naruto! He totally ditched me this morning!"

"Oh. Why would he do such a thing?" Tenten shifted in discomfort.

Ino threw her a revolted look.

"I don't know! Because he's a stupid ass jerk maybe!" she violently stabbed her turkey, imagining she was gauging Naruto's eyes out.

Tenten didn't dare say another word.

"Uh oh. Here comes you-know-who." Ino nudged Sakura and nodded towards two teenagers walking to their table.

Naruto walked to his death feeling the icy chill in the back of his neck when he saw Sakura's eyes darkening at him.

Seriously, what the hell did he do!

Before he would apologize for no reason, Sakura stood up with her head held high, walking away and out of the cafeteria. Naruto blinked, confused as hell.

Hinata couldn't help but feel responsible. Her flirtation must have been very obvious...

"I'm gonna go and..." Naruto stared after his **first** girlfriend.

"Remember to meet me at Ebisu's class. I think I'm having a test today...or not...but you never know." Ino said with a shrug.

"Yeah, alright." he gave her a nod before going after Sakura.

The three girls watched him sprint in haste and sighed guiltily.

"See, Tenten. Look what you did." muttered Ino as she peeled an orange.

Tenten gaped indignantly.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

"Hi to you too, honey." the white haired man grinned sarcastically and brushed passed the busty blonde. He made himself comfortable on the sofa.

Tsunade eyed him suspiciously and seated herself on the opposite chair.

"I came here to see how Naruto's doing in his final year." he examined his surroundings. "But I can't find that brat anywhere."

"He's doing very well, Jiraiya."

"Seriously? Even his grades?"

"Except that."

Jiraiya nodded inadvertently. That was expected.

He casually picked up a fork and plate of half eaten cake on the coffee table and took a bite out it. Tsunade glared at him. "What?" he shrugged. "Sharing is caring; we're married." he said innocently.

"Don't remind me."

"So." Jiraiya continued to eat. "How often does he get bullied these days?" he questioned as if it he were nonchalantly talking about the weather.

Tsunade sighed in what Jiraiya believed to be relief. "Actually, not at all."

All of a sudden, he dropped the cake on the floor in surprise. "Wow, really!"

Despite being very annoyed about all the fudge smears on the carpet, Tsunade managed a small smile. "That's how I reacted too. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with Sakura."

Jiraiya slapped his knee. "And here I thought he would be bullied forever! Ha!"

"It sure seemed that way, didn't it?" her small smile brightened. "So, Jiriaya." Tsunade folded her hands. Her normal facade returned, staring disgustingly as Jiriaya picked up the cake and continued eating it. "Why are you **really** here?"

The man laughed and wagged a finger at her. "You always see through me, Tsunade."

She was expressionless.

"How about I move into your house?"

"How about NO."

"Stingy as ever." he grunted. "I mean, we have been married for twenty years now."

Tsunade cringed.

"Well, don't look so happy about it." muttered Jiraiya. "But anyway, I have nowhere to go and Naruto's living in a dump..." he put the plate down, finally getting down to serious business. "What do you say?"

"Well, Naruto does live under horrible living conditions."

"He's my godson after all."

"This is a serious decision. I'll have two teenagers of the opposite sex under one roof! That can't be good..."

"What are you talking about? It's a dream come true! I wish I-"

"And then there's the 'big oaf' problem. How am I supposed to live with a stupid pervert in my house?" she quietly said to herself.

Watching Tsunade silently debating whether or not she should go through with this, Jiraiya smirked and wriggled his eyebrows. "By the way, I think it's about time we consummate our marriage...again."

He dodged a pen flying near his face.

"Don't ever speak of that!" Tsunade's face reddened.

"You know you liked it - AHHH!" Jiraiya failed to dodge the flying chair.

* * *

A demon.

A fuel, raged demon.

The image of her mutated wings flapping rapidly and skeleton-like body towering over him like a skyscraper haunted him. The red slits that should have been where her beautiful green eyes were pierced dangerously into his. Her claws were deadly enough to slice through his body without even touching it.

That's the image of Sakura Naruto currently saw in his mind,

a demon of the underworld...

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" she said in an ear splitting roar.

Naruto stepped back. His stupidity would naturally be mistaken for bravery. "Are you mad at me?"

"What gave you that impression?" Sakura spat sarcastically at him.

"What did I do?"

During that very long period of silence, Sakura couldn't help but feel annoyed with...herself. Sure, any normal girl with a crush would be mad. However, she took this anger to another level. A level she didn't even know she was capable of reaching.

Was she really THAT girl?

The kind of girl who becomes unbearably clingy and obsessed with her boyfriend?

Well, pretend boyfriend...

Sakura never felt so ashamed in her life.

"I'm sorry." her eyes softened, looking less and less like a dangerous flesh eating monster.

Poor Naruto was like a lost puppy. _'It must be her time of the month.' _he reasoned._  
_

"I was way out of line." her green eyes darted at a random object. "When you ditched me this morning, I guess I-"

"Ditched you?" Naruto looked puzzled. "Tenten told me you texted her this morning asking her to tell me not to wait up for you. She said it would be a waste of time waiting and I should walk with her to school...because she's afraid of getting raped or something like that." he shrugged, very confused with the whole ordeal.

Sakura couldn't quite process what the blond, naive boy was saying.

Tenten wouldn't commit such a devious, manipulating act.

"I think Ino told me the same thing."

Okay, Ino wasn't much of a surprise.

But Tenten?

"I can't believe they lied to me." Naruto's face looked stricken.

Sakura immediately shook her head. "No. Naruto, they didn't lie."

She couldn't believe she was covering their asses.

"I guess I just forgot. Hehe." She pretended to laugh sheepishly and forcibly pulled out her 'aww shucks' face.

Naruto shot her a blank stare. "So all that hate was for nothing?"

"Yup!" she took his arm and linked it with hers. "Wanna get some ice cream?" she smiled happily and walked alongside him, cursing her 'friends' on the inside.

Naruto stared at her.

This girl is insane.

"Don't change the subject! Do you know how much my tongue hurts right now!" Naruto scolded, thrashing his free hand in the air. "It was fuckin' bleeding!"

Sakura ignored his rant. "What about some chocolate cake? I bet the lunch lady has a few pieces left in the cellar?"

"You're crazy! After yelling at me in front of everyone, FOR NO REASON, you think you can just-!"

"Hmm. Or how 'bout some roast chicken in the cafeteria?"

"What the - how can you act like everything is okay, you weird, deranged, psycho-!"

"I found your confiscated ramen bowls in Tsunade's office. Wanna steal some?" she winked playfully.

Naruto paused.

He was still very agitated with Sakura, but the last thing he wanted to do was let all those ramen bowls go to waste...

"Well, okay."

* * *

Tenten and Ino looked at each other with guilty and uneasy expressions.

"Are you two okay?" Hinata crossed her arms, knowing very well about the little fib they told Naruto. Just when she was about to lecture them on the consequences of lying, she suddenly realize she was no better.

After all, she did tell him Sakura had absolute no interest in him.

It was obvious the pink haired girl was utterly smitten with the blond, mischievous boy.

"She knows." Ino gulped.

"I wonder what horrible thing she'll do to us." Tenten shuddered.

Hinata sighed, relieved that Sakura didn't know about the lie SHE told. "She can be pretty ruthless."

"I know!" Ino felt like falling to her knees.

"I can take her. She's small. What's she gonna do? Stare up at me to death?" Tenten punched the air, warming up for her battle.

Hinata and Ino looked at the delusional brunette with pity.

"I'm so dead!" Tenten whined.

The three teenage girls stared at the blank wall, awaiting their death.

"_Hi, guys!_"

"Ah!" they jumped in horror.

Sakura glowed, very pleased by their reactions. "I'm glad you all decided to show up. Didn't think you had the guts." she especially fixed her eyes on Tenten and Ino.

They gulped.

"Yeah, okay, so what's with the sudden summoning?" the blonde beauty swallowed her fear and placed two firm hands on her waist.

The emerald eyed girl shrugged casually. "Oh, nothing really." she picked at her nails. "Only, I thought we were playing a **friendly**, **clean** competition."

"Oh please. This is Naruto we're talking about." said Ino, unusually brave in this scary situation.

Tenten nodded her head. "That's right. There's no such thing as a clean competition."" she exchanged looks with Hinata and Ino, who looked equally as guilty as she did.

"Also, Hinata." Sakura smirked when she saw the timid, purple headed girl shift uneasily. "I talked to Naruto during our break-in in Tsunade's office. He told me what you said in Asuma's class. I have to say, it was really funny. And I mean fuckin' hilarious. Wanna know what he told me?"

Ino and Tenten immediately turned their heads, watching the timid girl squirm with suspicious eyes.

Hinata coughed nervously. "Um, no thank you."

Sakura did anyway. "He said he was glad I didn't think of him as anything other than a friend...because our friendship means a lot to him...and he wouldn't want to ruin it by being a REAL couple..."

Hinata sighed in distress. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

"We're all sorry." added Ino and Tenten, guilt-ridden.

"That's alright." Sakura shrugged, grinning wildly.

The three girls threw the pink headed girl a shady look.

"Because I sorta evened the playing field a bit." she smiled sweetly.

Knowing what Sakura was implying from her own personal experience, Ino's eyes widened. "What did you tell him about me?"

"That you have _gonorrhea_."

"WHAT-!"

Hinata immediately stepped in. "W-What about me?"

Sakura shrugged. "I told him you eat frog brains. He was pretty mad, you know, Naruto being a frog lover and all." she waved a casual hand.

The white eyed girl gasped in horror.

"And me?" Tenten was prepared for the worst.

Sakura pretended to think. "Hmmm...well, I finally told him what a bisexual is."

Tenten waited anxiously.

"A lesbian who likes to chop off and collect dicks."

"NOOO!" Tenten literally fell to her knees.

Ino was plain livid, she couldn't believe how far Sakura stooped. "That's WAY more horrible than the lie we told Naruto!"

"Hey, a lie's a lie." Sakura's trademark sweet and evil smile brightened. "See you girls later. My _boyfriend_ is waiting to walk me home." she slyly turned around, leaving behind a few mentally shattered girls. "Oh, and just so you know..." she stopped, half turning her head to face them.

Tenten, Hinata, and Ino looked up, glaring at their former friend and current enemy.

"Prom is coming up pretty soon." she smiled sickeningly. "I wonder who Naruto's taking?" she laughed evilly and skipped away merrily.

The three goddesses exchanged fixed stares, each with determination and simultaneous thoughts.

'_Naruto will be mine._'

* * *

_A/N: WOW thanks for all the reviews everyone! I REALLY appreciate it :D _

_Ok so the next chapter is gonna be LONG. I'm sorta debating on whether I should make it into two parts, what do you guys think?  
_


	11. Prom: The Committee

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Eleven

Prom: The Committee

* * *

Making sure not to miss another walk with Naruto ever again, Sakura woke up at 4:30 in the morning and waited patiently by the usual brick wall around 5:30. She brewed twice the amount of coffee she'd normally drink to help her be alert and focused...

in case any 'enemies' tried to catch her off guard.

Seeing a tall and thin boy walking slowly in her direction, she smiled at the way he ruffled his messy blond hair, making it even messier.

"What are you doing up so early?" the boy shoved his hands into his pockets, shocked by her early presence.

"Just thought I'd keep you company." her smile widened when he leaned close beside her against the wall. "You're always here by yourself so early, Naruto."

He shrugged.

"What do you think about?"

"Nothing...life I guess. It's been kinda funny lately." Naruto grinned auspiciously.

"Well, it's about to get funnier." her emerald eyes darkened.

Naruto's brow raised.

"_What the hell is she doing here?_"

Naruto turned his head to see Sakura, Tenten and Ino glaring between themselves. He scooted away a little, feeling too much of their intensity.

"Why do we always have to come here at the same time?" Tenten 'accidentally' elbowed Ino.

Ino gladly returned the gesture. "Please. You're a lesbian and you stalk me. Simple as that."

Tenten snorted unladylike.

"What are you doing here, Sakura? You can't get up early to save your life." Ino's eyes darted suspiciously at the girl.

"Apparently I can." Sakura retorted haughtily. "By the way, how's the bisexual thing working out, Tenten?"

Tenten gawked. She saw Naruto throw her a shady look, slowly placing his hands over his crotch.

"Y...You don't actually believe what she said, do you?" the ball-cutting bisexual asked in bewilderment.

Naruto didn't respond. If he angered her any further, she might do more than just chop his dick off.

"Oh, and Ino, how's the gonorrhea problem coming along?" Sakura pretended to sound concern.

Naruto was also concerned.

Ino couldn't formulate words.

"_Hi, everyone._"

Everyone turned around and saw a tiny, purple haired girl standing behind them.

Tenten was the first to respond. "Hinata, what are you - "

"I decided to walk to school this morning." the innocent look on Hinata's face was absolutely realistic; the girls envied her acting skills.

"But you live on the other side of town..." muttered Ino.

She was ignored. "Hi, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled sweetly.

Naruto glowered down at the beautiful Hyuuga. "Oh, hello, _Hinata_." he greeted with narrowing eyes. "The _frog community_ isn't happy."

Hinata turned to Sakura. "He still thinks I eat frog brains?"

"Well, you do." Sakura casually lied as she looked away.

"Naruto, Sakura's been telling you lies about us!" Tenten decided the madness must stop. "Being bisexual means being attracted to both sexes. We do not cut up balls and collect them!"

"AND I DON'T HAVE GONORRHEA!" Ino stomped in a psychotic rampage.

"Ino, your medication." Naruto quickly warned. He pulled a small bottle of pills out of his pants pocket and handed it to Ino.

Sakura glared at the boy. "You carry her pills around in your pocket?"

...

Naruto should be used to Sakura's unnecessary anger by now, but somehow he felt the hairs on his neck stick up.

"I told Ino I would carry an extra bottle for her if she ever forgot the other one at home." he looked at her innocently.

Ino's eyes brightened. "He's so heroic." she said in a dreamy state.

Tenten almost threw up.

"Anyway." Naruto turned to the beautiful brunette. "Why would Sakura lie?"

"Yeah. Why would I lie?" she threw all three girls a taunting smirk.

"Because she's evil!" Ino cried out.

"Tch. Sakura's not..."

He paused.

Well, actually, yes, she is.

Naruto turned to the so called evil one and crossed his arms, rebuking her with his eyes.

Sakura smiled innocently, but Naruto at least knew how to see through her facade. Sweating beneath the intense pressure of his glare, she did the only thing that came to mind.

POW!

Naruto stumbled back and looked at the small, slender girl in aghast.

Why does she always do the unexpected? And why was he always so surprised?

And was she always this strong?

"You punched me!" he trashed his free hand in the air and held his bruised eye with the other.

Sakura was quite shocked herself. She lowered her balled fist and laughed sheepishly. "Wanna go to prom with me?" she awkwardly changed the subject.

"YOU PUNCHED ME!"

While Naruto recuperated grouchily, Sakura apologized for the sudden outburst of violence.

Although the punch was definitely a shocker, Tenten, Ino, and Hinata were more concerned about Naruto's answer to Sakura's proposal.

Hinata seized the opportunity to say what she's been dreading to say for a very long time. She figured since everybody was turning on each other, it would be perfectly alright to do the same.

"Sakura, you can't go to prom with Naruto." she interrupted the heavy argument between the two. "You already promised to go with _Sasuke_."

Tenten and Ino stopped their tantrums and glanced between the heated Sakura and cool-collected Hinata.

They backed away at the same time.

Naruto stood unmoving. He looked entirely discontented and his black eye was forgotten.

"That was before we broke up!" Sakura quickly defended. "Like I'm really going to prom with my ex-boyfriend."

"You were never one to break promises, Sakura. And as I recall correctly, after Sasuke broke up with you, you told me you'd give anything to have him back."

"But...I didn't..." on the outside, anyone could see Hinata's angelic expressions made her the goddess of innocence.

Sakura looked deeper and found a sly, cunning backstabber. She shook her head and smirked wickedly.

"I really underestimated you, Hinata."

Ino and Tenten silently agreed.

"Since Sakura's promised to Sasuke, why don't we go to prom together, Naruto-kun?" Hinata suggested in her honey, sweet voice.

Before he could answer, Naruto was cut off by the other three desperate teenage girls.

"You can't have anything you want this time, Hinata. Naruto's going to prom with me!" Ino's fiery eyes blazed.

"Shut up, Ino, he's going with me!" Tenten loudly stated.

"Okay, bitches, dream on because Naruto's obviously taking me." Sakura sneered.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Were they really fighting over him?

"Actually, I don't really wanna go-"

He was ignored.

"Lets flip for him!" Tenten suggested as she pulled out a coin. "Heads, Naruto takes me. Tails, Naruto doesn't take any of you."

"I'm blonde, not stupid." Ino glared.

"Seriously, I don't want to go to pro-"

"Fine. We'll flip this cube." Tenten pulled out a multicolored cube out of her skirt pocket.

Sakura furrowed her brow. "Do you always carry a cube around in your pocket?"

"Really, Sakura? Does it really matter?"

"Just flip the damn cube."

With determination, the four goddesses huddled in a tight circle.

"Pick a color." demanded Tenten.

"Blue." said Ino.

"Red." Hinata kept a close eye on the cube.

"Pink...no, orange-"

"Just pick one!" Ino shouted at the hesitant, pink haired girl.

Sakura sighed, eventually coming to a skeptical decision. "Pink."

"Okay. Green."

Tenten flipped the cube high in the air. The girls nervously watched it dropped in slow motion with wide eyes and high hopes.

The cube landed.

"Oh, what the-!" Sakura snapped back.

"Green! IT'S GREEN!" Tenten screamed and jumped happily. "Naruto, we're gonna be-!" her excitement died when she found the empty spot where the blond prankster used to be.

Where did he go?

* * *

"So, how are the girlfriends doing?" Kiba smirked, winking nonstop.

Scarfing down his second plate of breakfast, Naruto used his sleeve to wipe his mouth and lazily sunk in the chair. He patted his full stomach. "As soon as I get up, I'm sending all of them to the mental institute."

"What happened?" Chouji bit into a extra large omelet.

Meeting up with his new friends after cowardly running away from the goddesses, Naruto and the guys sat comfortably in a booth of a fast food restaurant, stuffing their problems away with eggs and toast; Naruto was finally at peace after what happened earlier...

"Prom." he sighed bitterly. "They want me to choose between them...they even flipped a fucking cube...and Sakura punched me!" he exclaimed, pointing excessively at his new, shiny black eye.

The boys winced.

"Well, you know, if you want, I could...you know..." Kiba mumbled nervous, incoherent words under his breath.

Naruto glimpsed questionably at him.

"I could take one of them to prom. Just to lesson your load 'n all. You know what I mean?" Kiba accidentally knocked his plate of fries over the table. He cursed loudly and shoved the spilled mess beneath the table.

Neji scoffed. "You're such a slob."

"I'll pick it up later!" Kiba lied.

"No. I mean how could you even think about taking one of Naruto's girlfriends out to prom?" Neji threw the dog-boy a sickening look.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, man." Kiba apologized, grinning sheepishly at the distressed blue eyed boy.

Naruto shrugged, considering the offer. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

Kiba nearly choked on his bacon. "Really!" he couldn't believe his luck!

Apparently, so did the others. Shikamaru crossed his arms and fixed his stare on Naruto's casual face. "Are you sure you want to do that? I know it's not a big deal for you, but girls are...different." he explained knowingly.

Lee nodded his head. "I agree with Shikamaru-kun. Girls are very emotional."

"Because Lee's a girl and he obviously understands." added Kiba.

"Right...wait -"

Shino purposely cut the Bruce Lee impersonation off. "Will you set me up with Ino?"

Everyone stared uncomfortably at the bug-loving boy...especially Shikamaru.

"I have a thing for blondes."

Still an uncomfortable silence.

Naruto gave Shino a nod and leaned against the cushioned chair. "Sure. I don't wanna go to the stupid prom anyway!" he grumbled loudly.

"Then I want Hinata!" if Kiba had a tail, it would be wagging.

"Okay." Naruto shrugged, feeling like a pimp.

"And I'll take _Sakura_." said a masculine, silent voice.

Frozen in his seat, Naruto blinked and turned to eye the boy who made that...disturbing remark.

Kiba laughed teasingly. "I always knew you had a thing for her, Neji."

Neji Hyuuga only scoffed.

Squirming uncomfortably in his seat, Naruto threw Neji a quick glance.

So Neji Hyuuga has a thing for Sakura?

Naruto looked at his empty plate and felt his insides twist. There must have been something in the eggs.

"But I want Sakura!" Lee objected profoundly.

The whisker-tattooed boy grumbled silently to himself and rubbed his stomach.

"I'll go with Tenten!" Chouji immediately raised his free hand and devoured his fourth omelet with excitement.

"Actually, I want Tenten." said the shady boy with dark glasses.

"Shino, you can't just change your mind like that!" Kiba waved his grilled cheese sandwich in the air.

The twist in Naruto's stomach didn't seem to want to go away, and at the back of his head, he knew Neji's 'thing' for Sakura bothered him. Just when he was about to ask the other Hyuuga about the 'thing', his crystal blue eyes caught something beautiful and raven coming into the restaurant.

"Great." Neji bit into his bagel. "It's Uchiha."

Everyone watched the godlike boy walk to the counter, sitting and waiting with poised patience. His dark, inky eyes glanced briefly into Naruto's crystal blues. He slowly turned around with a sarcastic 'hn'.

Naruto's eyebrows twitched. He made an odd grunting noise and also turned away.

"Is it me, or does _pretty boy_ look a little angry?" Kiba pointed out curiously.

"He does look a little peeved." said Shikamaru, observing the annoyed and thwarted expression on Sasuke's face.

Kiba leaned onto the table and gestured the boys to come closer. "You know what I noticed? He only looks that way when Naruto's around." he snickered in triumph along with Chouji and Lee.

Again, Naruto gazed upon the infamous Uchiha and found him staring back. When Sasuke's order was ready, he grabbed the brown bag and walked away with a superior air about him. He threw Naruto one last threatening glare before finally leaving the restaurant.

"What an ass." Shikamaru snorted.

The gang quickly forgot about the silent encounter with Sasuke Uchiha, changing the subject to the new up and coming Twilight movie.

"The dude sparkles! What do chicks see in that!" Kiba complained oppressively.

Naruto was grateful. The last thing he wanted to talk about was prom, Sasuke, or Neji's 'thing' for Sakura...

* * *

She did amazing on her history pop quiz.

Absolutely fantastic.

So why was Sakura sulking like her life had taken a turn for the worst?

Sasuke noticed this right away and leaned over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Slightly taken back, she turned her head to find two ink-colored eyes staring at her with concern. Once again, she stared back at Kakashi's chalkboard and sighed helplessly with her cheek in her palm.

"Nothing." she responded impassively, not quite up to making a snappy remark like 'None of your fuckin' beeswax'.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow and leaned in closer. Sakura could feel his slow breath against the nape of her neck and she stiffened.

"If you don't tell me, I'll have to change the subject."

"Then by all means..." she shifted uncomfortably, pretending like he hadn't just invaded her personal space.

"Go to prom with me."

Huh.

She quickly turned to face him with tormented eyes. "Well, you see, I'm pretty much friendless right now because Hinata, Ino, and Tenten (the only friends I have in this stinkin' world) can't keep their grubby, desperate hands off MY pretend boyfriend! What's their fuckin' problem? I saw him first! And he liked me first! So why can't they just leave us the fuck alone and let us be a REAL happy couple, huh!" she publicly fumed, causing all to back their seats away from her.

Kakashi, too busy with his 'Icha Icha Paradise' break, happily ignored the teenage drama.

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek.

He asks her to prom...she changes the subject and talks about Naruto...

Well, that didn't hurt his pride at all.

Not only that, but she just had to continue. "And it's not like he actually has feelings for any of them. Don't they realize that? Those stupid bimbos..."

"Do you know if he likes you?"

Sakura felt a slight kick in her stomach and her eyes fell on the floor, lost in thought. "I don't...well...he used to." she slumped.

Sasuke sighed.

Anyone with common sense could see Naruto is still crazy about the pink haired bombshell. He couldn't believe Sakura of all people didn't realize it...and this is a girl who thinks EVERYBODY loves her.

"You know, there are ways of finding out." he fell against the back of his chair and crossed his arms. He had a conniving look in his dark eyes, and Sakura immediately saw that - for she is an expert conniver. "Go to prom with me; see his reaction. It'll confirm whether he's jealous or not and then you'll know."

He observed her thoughtful frown and patiently waited for her to respond. For some reason, a nervous feeling built up in his chest.

He had never felt so anxious in his life.

"I'm sorry." Sakura turned around, watching Kakashi giggle perversely at something he read. "But I'd rather just go **with** Naruto." she didn't mean for it to sound so cruel, but this is Sasuke...he can take it.

At least that's what she thought.

Sasuke let out a silent, shaky breath. He couldn't believe she rejected him. For the first time in his life, he felt...

_heartbroken_.

He refused to wallow and instead stared at the back of her uniquely pink head. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out her odd fascination with Uzumaki when the god of Konoha high (and possibly all human existence) was, dare he say, **desperately**, trying to take her back.

Should he give up?

Probably.

Will he?

NEVER.

* * *

"So how could you possibly kiss all of them before every class? That's like four classes you need to sprint to, well, technically, twenty classes throughout the day! Not to mention your own!" said Kiba in disbelief.

Walking down an empty hallway (during class) in ease, Naruto grinned mischievously. "It's a gift." he shrugged. "Getting to my own class on time however..."

"Hence your thousands of tardies." said Shino, surprisingly out of class as well.

"Yup. Also a gift." Naruto smirked.

Kiba laughed discreetly, thinking about something that happened earlier. "So anyway, you think the old lady will know it was us?"

"Not so much 'us'." said Naruto. "Much more 'me'." he laughed with the barking boy beside him.

Shino was expressionless. "I can't believe you pulled me into this."

"Hey, it's not my fault you're the only living human being in this world who collects and raises booklice." Naruto patted the boy firmly with a grin. "I had to take the once in a lifetime opportunity."'

"They're called 'Psocoptera'" Shino corrected, obviously offended by Naruto's lack of knowledge on insects. "And Tsunade-sama will most definitely suspect it was me." he said, still unemotional.

Naruto gave him a reassuring grin. "If she does, I'll tell her it was all my idea. Baa-chan loves me!" he recalled the time Tsunade made him watch educational videos on biological species for three hours in detention, laughing evilly along the way. "Sorta…" he mumbled.

The worst thing a person can do is make Naruto 'learn'.

"Can the bugs really find the PSAT tests in her office on time?" asked Kiba.

"I left a swarm in there. They'll get to it in no time." said Shino.

"Alright! Mission accomplished!" Kiba pumped a fist in the air.

He and Naruto performed some sort of secret handshake, which caused Shino to stop and watch boringly as they couldn't quite get it right.

"Uh, we'll work on it later." said Naruto as Kiba shrugged. He turned to Shino and held out a hand.

"No." said Shino as he continued to walk away.

"Aw, come on! We all have secret handshakes!" Naruto called out, catching up with him.

"Leave me out of it."

"I even have one with Neji!"

"I'm going back to class."

"How 'bout a fist bump-"

"_There you are!_"

The three teenage boys were stopped by a familiarly sharp voice behind them. They turned around to see a young woman place two hands on her hips, throwing a stern look.

They froze and stood silent.

"Hey, Shizune-nee-chan." Naruto tried to act casual, managing not to frail under the woman's piercing gaze. "New haircut?"

"That's not gonna work on me anymore, Naruto."

"Worth a shot."

Ignoring the boy's sheepish expression, Shizune planted her feet firmly on the cold, hard floor and frowned. "Tsunade wants you in her office...er...actually, near her office."

Naruto slapped on an innocent face. "Whaaaat? What did I do?"

Shizune's gaze darkened.

"Ahhh, well, okay." he grinned and attempted to take a step forward.

"And you too, Shino."

The bug-lover threw both boys an 'I told you so' look and followed Naruto.

"Kiba, what are you doing out of class?"

"Uh..."

"I think perhaps you should follow Naruto and Shino."

"O...Okay." he sighed and dropped his head, slowly following the path to death, not quite used to it like Naruto was.

* * *

Being the first one to appear at the meeting, Tenten looked around the empty room, scoping an eye out for a seat. Sitting directly in the middle, she sighed and slouched.

"_Omg! OMG!_"

Frowning in silence, she recognized the sound of the screech and sunk deeper in her chair.

A beautiful, blonde girl ran into the room with high spirits and wide teary eyes. "A! Tenten, I got an A on Kakashi's history test! THE KISS WORKED!" she squealed happily, jumping up and down in place.

Tenten snorted. Although Ino's surprising A further proved Naruto's lucky kiss is indeed real, the brunette pretended not to give a slightest care.

"And you're talking to me, why?"

Remembering their current 'situation', Ino cleared her throat and straightened her skirt. "My stupid mistake. Who'd wanna talk to a lesbian ball-cutter."

"You - !" Tenten raised a fist.

"_Oh, looks like I'm in the wrong room._"

Ino and Tenten turned to see a pink headed girl standing by the door.

"I didn't know the 'liar's meeting' started so late in the day." Sakura picked at her nails, looking bored. "I'll be going then." she made a move to leave.

"Oh, you're one to talk." Tenten glared.

"_Uh oh. Looks like I walked into a death trap._" said a deep, manly voice behind Sakura.

Sakura turned around and found a grinning, silver haired man with a familiar novel in his hand.

"So, this is the prom committee?" he looked around the room, unimpressed. "Hm. Not as much as last year."

"Kakashi-sensei, you're early." Sakura looked shocked.

Kakashi was equally shocked. He looked straight ahead with a blank stare. "Oh my god. I am." he turned his heel and waved. "See ya girls later -"

"Oh, no you don't!" Ino and Sakura pulled him inside.

"Am I being kidnapped?"

"We need to discuss a few ideas for prom." said Ino.

"Well, that's why I'm the supervisor."

"Great. Take a seat." Sakura pushed the teacher onto a random chair. "Although Ino and I are no longer friends anymore..." she and the blonde threw each other heated glares.

Kakashi was greatly intrigued.

"We've been planning prom since we were five."

"Yeah. And we've decided instead of wearing the predictable dress to prom..." suggested Ino.

"...we want all the girls to wear..."

Ino and Sakura looked at each other with sparks in their eyes.

"Bikinis!"

Tenten looked rather interested.

Kakashi watched in pure fascination as Ino and Sakura squealed and jumped together in excitement. It was quite a heart warming scene seeing two former best friends look at each other in high spirits, forgetting about their rivalry for the blond haired mystery boy that caused their seperation in the first place.

Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted.

"Absolutely not." he crushed their spirits.

Sakura's mouth dropped. "Why the hell not?"

"Sensei! I worked by butt off getting the perfect body so I can wear my bikini to prom!" Ino fumed.

Kakashi shrugged. "And I'm sure you do have the perfect body, Ino. But just think about all the chubby girls who will be forced to wear a bikini to their one and only senior prom." he shivered with the image of chunky bits of fat wiggling on the dance floor. "Not a pretty sight."

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten threw him a severe glare.

Men.

"Any other ideas?" Kakashi chirped.

"_Hi, there!_"

Behind Kakashi was a young boy with bushy eyebrows standing radiantly out the door.

The girls groaned out loud.

"Is this the prom committee?"

"No!" Tenten shouted desperately.

"Actually, it is." The girls turned their heads toward Kakashi with another severe glare. It was like he enjoyed ruining their lives. "Come on in, Lee. "

Instead of further complaining, Tenten immediately got up and left the room.

"Hey, where are you going - " Kakashi blinked.

"Okay!" Lee smiled widely, throwing a thumbs up. "I'll do whatever it takes to help out my precious cherry blossom! No matter what!" he tightened his fist and walked inside with determination in his shiny, bright eyes.

Ino snickered and Sakura grumbled curses under her breath.

Knock knock

Everyone looked toward the front door again and saw three boys and a young woman standing outside. The boys looked entirely irritated while the woman had a feminine glow about her.

"Hi, Kakashi." the woman blushed heavily beneath the masked man's stare.

"Oh. Hey, Shizune." he closed his book and put it in his pants pocket. "What brings all of you here?" he asked, casting eyes on the three boys.

"Oh, right, them." she coughed nervously and looked behind her. "They're currently being held in detention."

Sakura caught the eye of the blonde boy and smirked. "What did you do this time?"

The blue eyed boy returned the smirk and laughed. "Ah, nothing. But just to let you know, you won't have to worry about taking the PSATs anymore."

Sakura scrunched her nose. "Huh?"

"You'll see."

Shizune shook her head in disappointment. "Anyway, Tsunade's office is being fumigated at the moment, so detention with her is impossible..."

"Which means no educational videos." Kakashi sighed.

He quite enjoyed watching kids suffer by the hands of the great principal Tsunade.

Naruto and Kiba once again attempted their secret handshake...and once again with failure.

"We still need to work on it."

"Heh." Naruto rubbed his neck.

"Kakashi, I'll leave you to deal with these three." said Shizune, still slightly flushed.

"Hm?"

"For their punishment..." said Shizune. "...Naruto, Kiba, and Shino will be joining the prom committee."

The boys groaned, even Shino.

"Please don't take it easy on them." Shizune smiled and left the room.

Kakashi looked much more enthusiastic. "The committee is coming along nicely."

The three boys looked at each other and shrugged, taking a seat. With a slight skip in his step, Naruto chose to sit on the far right end next to Sakura. Ino, being on the far left, looked rather disappointed and offended. Her life got worse when Kiba Inuzuka decided to sit next to her.

"Hi." he wasn't aware of his drool.

Ino sat quietly and continued to spy on Naruto and Sakura. She hated seeing how deeply they were into their conversation. Ino watched Sakura giggle at what Naruto said and he smiled widely as if his purpose in life was completed.

Barf.

"Okay, it's time to assign your positions." Kakashi once again pulled out his book as soon as Shizune was out of sight. "But before that, do any of you have any questions?" he looked around.

Ignoring Kakashi, Ino stared at the disturbing look on Naruto's face. A brooding thought occurred to her once she realized what this look meant; she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before.

That idiot is still in love with Sakura.

"Anyone? Questions?"

Naruto raised his hand with begging eyes.

"That isn't stupid." Kakashi stared him down.

Naruto lowered his hand.

Immediately after that, Kiba raised his hand.

"I said that ISN'T stupid."

Kiba grumbled and crossed his arms.

Lee's hand shot up with frantic energy.

"No."

Lee dropped his hand, lowered his head, and sighed.

Sakura stroked her chin with a slender finger in thought and confidently raised her hand.

"'Can I wear a bikini to prom?'. No, you cannot. I said no stupid questions, children." Kakashi sighed.

Sakura gasped, offended. "I wasn't going to ask that." she argued, even though that was **exactly** what she was going to ask.

Kiba's mouth dropped. "Actually, I like the bikini idea."

Shino raised his hand and without Kakashi's permission, spoke. "I want a bug theme."

...

Kakashi had a mental image of stabbing himself to death.

* * *

"Naruto!"

"No. I said I'm not going."

"But why not?"

"Because...it's stupid!"

"What's stupid!"

"The whole prom thing!" Naruto grunted, kicking a branch in his way.

The two walked out of the school building alongside each other with provoking expressions.

"What's so stupid about it?" Sakura frowned, wanting desperately to wring the boy's neck.

Naruto grumbled gibberish under his breath. "Everything! Getting dressed up, dancing, eating, the crowd...I mean, you can do that anywhere."

"But this is PROM." Sakura reasoned loudly.

When Naruto didn't respond, she bit her lip and looked away angrily. They walked in silence for a while and the cold night air caught up with her. She shivered and rubbed her arms, not feeling the tiniest bit warm. Naruto looked at her and sighed. At first, he lifted his arm hesistantly, embarrassed by the action he was about to proceed with. However, when she shivered again, and saw how small she was, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight against his body. Sakura's eyes widened at the gesture and she looked down.

She felt warmth tingle her entire body.

"Um, thanks."

"Yeah."

They blushed heavily against each other, walking queitly along the way.

"So, no prom?"

Naruto looked down at her with apologetic eyes and nodded. "No prom."

"Is that your final answer?"

"Definitely."

Sakura sighed sadly.

Maybe saving Sasuke Uchiha's number wasn't such a bad idea after all...

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the late update!  
_


	12. Prom: The Move In

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Twelve

Prom: The Move In

* * *

Naruto choked on a ramen noodle and coughed violently as Shikamaru firmly swatted his back.

"You okay?"

"What did you just say!" Naruto knocked over his plastic bowl of ramen, surprising everyone around him.

Shikamaru blinked and leaned his head back. "I asked if you were okay-"

"No! Before that!" Naruto's body began to heat up considerably despite being in a cool, air conditioned gym.

Naruto, Kiba, and Shino reluctantly agreed to set up the decorations for prom while Kakashi went on his usual 'Icha Icha break'. Kiba stood at the top of the ladder, effortlessly and carelessly putting up white lights against the walls. When he heard Naruto's sudden outburst, he nearly fell off, grabbing the ladder with both hands and gasping for fear of his life.

"What the hell Naruto! I almost died!"

Ignoring Kiba's loud complaints, Naruto stared at Shikamaru with disbelief. "Sakura is...she's...him!" he didn't even have the sense to formulate full sentences.

"That's what I heard." Shikamaru was very sympathetic to how hard Naruto was taking the news. "The rumor is circulating the entire school."

Neji nodded with what could have been disappointment. "It's definitely true. I overhead Sakura and Sasuke discussing their plans during first period."

"So you were spying on them?" Shikamaru smirked.

"Of course not." Neji said a little too quickly.

Naruto's sullen gaze fell upon the shiny, gym floor and he lifelessly sat next to Chouji on the bleachers. "Sakura's going to prom with Sasuke." he grabbed a bunch of chips from Chouji's bag and stuffed them in his mouth.

"Hey!" Chouji was furious.

Kiba's narrowed his eyes and turned around with an irritated look on his face. "Sorry about Sakura and everything, but am I the only one who's doing all the work around here!"

Everyone watched Rock Lee sing and dance around the gym while blowing up balloons at the same time.

"Besides little miss prissy puss over there." he muttered.

Neji threw Kiba an amused look. "What's with your bad attitude?"

Shikamaru tsked and leaned smugly against the bleachers. "He's just pissed because he couldn't get Hinata to be his date."

Kiba looked absolutely mortified.

Neji made an odd noise and rolled his eyes.

"Well what about you!" the dog lover growled as he continued to struggle with the lights.

"What about me?" Shikamaru and Chouji exchanged smug grins, as if knowing something nobody else did.

Kiba snorted. "Prom is less than a week away and it looks like I'm not the only one without a date." he taunted with a toothy smirk.

Shikamaru shrugged and tried not to look so content.

"Actually, Kiba," Chouji started as he and Naruto continued to munch on the potato chips (much to Chouji's unwillingness to do so). "Shikamaru has a date."

Again, Kiba nearly fell off his ladder. "WHAT!"

"WHAT!" everyone else exclaimed...

except Naruto who only brooded silently to himself.

"Yup." Chouji glanced briefly at his stoic faced friend for permission. Shikamaru gave no indication that he wanted to keep it a secret, so Chouji continued. "Guess who it is - "

"Just say it." Kiba was rather annoyed.

"Ino Yamanaka."

...

"Blondie? Really?" Neji's eyebrow raised, quite surprised.

"What the fuck is this world coming to?" Kiba quietly complained to himself as he turned around and went back to putting up the lights.

The spiky haired boy tried not to look pleased, but anyone who had even the slightest view of his face knew otherwise. "She caught me by surprise and just straight out asked me. She didn't quite get my name right, but.." Shikamaru quickly turned to Naruto. "You don't mind, do you? I know she's your girlfriend and everything but...er...Naruto?" he waved a hand near the boy's face.

Naruto snapped out of his daze and turned to Shikamaru. "Huh?"

"Is it alright if I go to prom with Ino?"

"What? Oh, yeah, sure." he sighed deeply and sank in low spirits - the complete opposite of his usual self.

Even Kiba realized the demeaning aura of the gym and turned to glare at Shikamaru. "See what you did, Nara? You obviously hurt Naruto's feelings! Grow some balls and tell Ino 'no thanks!'"

Shikamaru was glad he had the will power to keep his mouth shut instead of haughtily shouting a well expected 'HELL NO!'.

Neji observed Naruto a bit further and realized the depression had nothing to do with the beautiful, blonde bombshell.

"I'm sure Haruno will go to prom with you if you just ask." Neji watched Naruto perk at the mention of Sakura's name.

The class prankster snorted and forcefully replaced his frown with a happy-go-lucky grin. "Why the hell would I wanna do that?" he leaned back and rested his hands behind his head. "If Sakura wants to go to prom with teme, then that's her weird ass decision." he tried to pull off the stoic look as easily as Shino...

and failed horrifically.

Naruto went back to the state of depression and sighed in misery.

The gang exchanged worried glances before changing the subject to how lame the football team was this year.

* * *

"Should I tell him, or you?"

"What, why do I have to tell him?"

"It's not a big deal. Just do it."

"If it's not a big deal, then you do it."

"Bitch, no. He's gonna freak."

"Did you just call me bitch?"

"Isn't that what kids these days are saying? Bitch, just tell him."

"Jiraiya!"

"Tsunade!"

The white haired man raised his arms to his face in defense to protect himself from Tsunade's continuous, life-threatening slaps.

"_Uhhh. Should I come back later?_"

The married couple immediately froze when they heard a familiar voice waiting by the door.

"Ahem." Tsunade straightened herself (not before giving Jiraiya one last slap in the face) and gestured the boy standing awkwardly to take a seat. "Come in, Naruto."

"Ow." Jiraiya glared and rubbed his freshly, hand marked face.

The three slowly made their way to the sofa; Naruto stared between the two, blinking in confusion. "What's Ero-sennin doing here?"

"Ahh, Naruto. Tsunade has something to tell you - OUUUCH." Jiraiya felt an immensely painful pinch on his arm and turned sharply at the principal's innocent face.

Tsunade picked up her cup of tea and sipped silently. She then graciously put her cup down on the coffee table and sighed in content. "Naruto, Jiraiya and I have some pretty big news to share with you."

Naruto distorted his face, giving Jiraiya a look. The man threw him a reassuring grin in return, but to no avail. Naruto now knew something horrible was about to happen.

"Is this about girl's bathroom on the second floor?" Naruto looked mildly nervous.

Tsunade's face darkened. "What about the girl's bathroom on the second floor?"

"Hehe. Nothing."

Jiraiya shook his head and stared deeply into Naruto's crystal blue eyes. "Don't worry so much, kid. This is good news."

"Then why are you guys making a big deal out of it?" Naruto stared back and forth between the two suspiciously.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"Then why haven't you told me yet?"

Jiraiya glanced at the woman with a self-righteous smirk and said, "Yeah, why haven't you told him yet?"

"He's your godson! YOU TELL HIM, YA OLD, WHITE ASS."

Naruto watched the Tsunade-slaps-Jiraiya-around ritual in delight until he felt the vibration of his new phone in his pants pocket. He reached in and pulled it out to find the screen light up with Sakura's name on it. Sitting there in silence, while debating what to do, Naruto habitually rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"Bitch, don't make me call the authorities for domestic abuse - !"

"Stop reminding me of our marriage, AND STOP CALLING ME BITCH, BITCH!"

Finally deciding that staring at his phone all day wasn't going to solve anything, Naruto touched Sakura's name on the screen and was surprised to find ten messages left by her.

_i'm bored. text me now_

_hey, I said text me!_

_naruuuutooooooo_

_HEY!_

_i'm gonna wait 5 minutes. if u don't answer me i'll ignore u forever_

_it's been 50 min. i am not pleased :(_

_naruto, u little fucker. a__nswer ur goddamn phone!_

_i will literally tear ur face to shreds if u don't answer me now!_

_y r u ignoring me? I'LL KILL U IF UR NOT ALREADY DEAD._

_meet me in the caf after school_

Naruto gulped. If those angry messages were enough to cause him to shake in his shoes, just imagine how it'll be seeing her face-to-face. He did not want to risk having his face torn to shreds, and he knows she probably might actually do it! Naruto whimpered like a little girl deep inside.

"Jiraiya, man up and just tell him he's moving in with me and Sakura!" Tsunade waved a threatening fist at the man.

Naruto's eyes widened and he choked on air. Tsunade's blinked frantically as she firmly patted his back. "WHAT! I'm moving in with you and Sakura?" he looked shockingly horrified as he continued to choke.

"Aww, look what you did, Tsunade." Jiraiya shook his head disappointedly.

Tsunade shrugged, still patting the choking boy's back. "I thought he would be happy to move in with his girlfriend."

"Obviously he was, until you ruined a perfectly good surprise." said Jiraiya as he successfully avoided another blow to his face.

Naruto finally composed himself with much difficulty and stumbled out of his seat. "No. NO WAY. I'm not moving in with _her_."

Tsunade blinked. "You two aren't broken up, are you?"

Jiraiya looked disappointed. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"No! We're not broken up!"

"So what's the problem?" Tsunade made an irritated noise and rolled her eyes.

Naruto's mouth fell open. "She wants to tear my face off, baa-chan. TEAR MY FACE OFF!"

Jiraiya waved him off and laughed loudly. "Ahhh, all chicks say that! It doesn't mean they're actually gonna do it!" he continued to laugh. All of a sudden, he stopped and remembered the scorching pain and red marks on his face. Glancing at Tsunade from the corner of his eye, his facial expression immediately changed. "Forget everything I ever say."

"I always do." muttered Naruto.

Tsunade ignored Jiraiya and focused intensely on Naruto. "What did you do? Why is she angry?"

"Because I didn't answer her texts right away? I don't know! I was busy all day in the girl's bathroom on the second floor!" Naruto exclaimed, thrashing his arms about.

Tsunade glared. "What the hell were you doing all day in the girl's bathroom during class?"

A pause.

"Noothiiiinng."

The white haired godfather gave Naruto a hard pat on the shoulder. "Oh, lay off the kid, Tsunade. He's got women problems. And don't we all." he playfully elbowed Naruto and winked as if they were sharing something special just between the two of them.

Naruto didn't understand the old geezer at all.

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go now." he turned around and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Tsunade exclaimed. "What do you think about the moving situation?"

Naruto looked at the big-breasted woman and shrugged. "Nothing. Because there isn't going to be a moving situation. I'm staying in my apartment where I'll be safe and pain-free. Thanks for wasting my time, I'll be in the girl's bathroom on the second floor." he quickly walked away.

"Wai - NARUTO!" Tsunade belted.

As soon as the blond boy was out of sight, Tsunade and Jiraiya slouched on the sofa and sighed.

"Should we tell him we already moved all his junk into your house?" Jiraiya suggested. "And that his apartment is being torn down as we speak."

"I think you could still catch him if you run fast enough." said Tsunade, sipping on the rest of her tea.

"Nah. He'll find out eventually."

"Lazy ass."

Jiraiya laid his hands beneath his head. "Ah, well. It's better than being an old, white ass." he smirked as Tsunade chuckled softly.

* * *

It was quite obvious the pink headed girl standing alone by the doors of the cafeteria was not going to move any time soon. She released a vehement, don't-get-close-to-me-or-I'll-slaughter-you vibe to anyone who walked within a ten foot radius around her; it was not a pretty sight for those who stepped into her cone of death.

"You wanna take a fuckin' picture?" Sakura spat at the small crowd who briefly glanced her way.

The crowd stumbled over each other, fearing their lives.

Sasuke' raised a dubious eyebrow. He WAS going to buy an after school snack, but now all he wanted to do was get as far away as possible from this furious, spree-killing, little demon.

No, actually, he really wanted to know what the hell was up with her.

"Sakura - "

"WHAT!"

"..."

The pink haired girl realized whom she was about to kill and made an effort to calm herself. "Sorry, Sasuke." she murmured and crossed her arms in frustration.

Sasuke gave her a courteous nod and stood by her shoulder-to-shoulder. "Is this about Naruto?"

"He's been avoiding me all day, and he hasn't answered any of my texts." Sakura sighed and chose to stare intently on her shoes. "Is it that obvious?"

Sasuke made a 'hn' noise. "You only act like a frantic bitch when it comes to him."

The two looked at each other with tense eyes. The intensity broke and they smiled at each other (or what came close to a smile in Sasuke's case).

"I was never like this with you." Sakura leaned her shoulder against his.

As much as it was slowly killing the raven haired boy inside, he pretended to be indifferent. Unlike Naruto, he was very good at it. "True. I could go days without answering your texts and you wouldn't care." Sakura discovered the hint of tease in his voice.

She playfully slapped his arm.

"I'll call you tonight." said Sasuke as he slowly retracted himself out the door. "About prom."

"Okay." Sakura smiled.

As soon as the 'god of Konoha high' was out of sight, Sakura's mood lightened significantly. The idea of being Sasuke's friend is what she really needed...especially since she's already lost three...

"_Err...hi...Sakura..._"

Sakura blinked and looked up to see a very nervous blond, ready to jump at the sound of her screeching voice at any given moment.

How amusing.

"Well, at least you bothered to read my last message." she tapped her foot against the ground and placed both hands on her hips. She threw him an 'explain yourself' look and narrowed her dark, emerald eyes at him. "Mind telling my why you've been avoiding me all day?"

"I wasn't avoiding you." he lied.

Sakura glared at him. "You always answer my calls and texts right away."

"I was busy pulling a prank."

"So? You always call and text me back anyway."

"But this was a really elaborate prank that needed...uh...special...care..."

"Special care?"

"Uh huh."

"So what kind of prank were you trying to pull?"

"..."

"I'm waiting, Naruto."

"Well, you didn't tell me you asked Sasuke to prom!" Naruto quickly fired, forgetting Sakura's tendency to 'torture' him, replacing his anxiety with fierce jealousy.

Sakura was taken aback. Her eyes fluttered rapidly and her breath shortened. "What...how did...who told you!"

Naruto looked her up and down with judging eyes, crossed his arms, and sneered. "It's circulating the school, Sakura. CIRCULATING. Everyone knows!"

"I was going to tell you!"

"Oh yeah? When?"

"I don't know! Soon!"

"More like never! You think I wasn't going to find out about this? I'm not stupid ya know!" Naruto and Sakura flared their eyes wildly at each other. "I can't believe you asked that asshole - "

"He's not an asshole, alright." Sakura defended her newfound friendship with the infamous Uchiha.

Naruto snorted loudly. "So what does this mean? Are we done?"

The cafeteria was completely empty at this time and it fell in dead silence. Sakura somehow managed to keep her face from crumbling apart. "What are you talking about?"

"If you and Uchiha are going together, then - "

"We're only going to prom together!" she shouted, unaware that she had dropped everything in her possession. "Wait, are you..." she scoffed and turned away. Within five seconds she composed herself and turned to face the anger-ridden blond once more. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Naruto's body immediately slumped. He clutched his bag tightly and his finger's twitched around the strap. "We were never going out in the first place, Sakura." his eyes softened when he saw how grief stricken her face was.

Sakura couldn't bear to look into his eyes at this point, so she turned away again. "I thought...we..." she subconsciously bit the inside of her cheek.

Naruto stared deeply into her emeralds and tried to catch her eye. "Did you really think we were-"

The pink haired girl snapped her head to face him with ferocity and her fury escalated. "FINE! Maybe for a while I did believe you were my real boyfriend. I like you, Naruto! But now that I know how you feel, I guess it really is over." with haste, she bent over to pick up her things. Before storming out of the cafeteria, she stopped, not even bothering to turn around.

In a complete state of shock, Naruto could only stare silently at her back.

She turned her head half way without bringing herself to look at him. "I don't need you anymore. Give your luck to someone else." and with that, she fled the building.

Naruto stood silently by himself for many minutes after her departure. '_So that's it. It's over. We'll never be together again_.' he thought sullenly as he pulled himself together and made his way home.

Little do they know, they'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on...

* * *

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and half-heartedly lifted himself off the couch, peering at the door. When he heard loud, continuous banging on the front door, he immediately knew he should have been prepared long ago for a verbally exhausting battle. Before he could twist the knob, he slapped on big, goofy smile and built up all the energy he could muster for a fifty-something year old man.

"Hey, Naruto!" he bellowed with arms wide open. "Welcome home."

The blond boy was not amused. He stood firm and angry with arms crossed strictly across his chest. "So after school, I go back to the apartment and find it completely pummeled." he leaned on the frame of the door and watched his godfather laugh nervously.

"Oh? Wow, that's just... weeeird." his eyes darted on everything other than Naruto.

Naruto's threw him a condemned look. "I thought so too. So then I go up to my landlord, all freaked out thinking my stuff was completely destroyed, and he said the 'old pervert' and 'big boobs' moved all my things out hours ago. I asked 'where?'. He said 'who the hell knows.' Oh but i knew...I knew!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the old man.

"Okay, okay!" Jiraiya backed away and put up his hands in defense. "I know it'll be awkward for you-"

"Awkward is an understatement! Sakura and I broke up today; we're not even speaking to each other!"

Jiraiya made an "O" shape with his mouth and shrugged. "Well, she was too hot for you anyway."

"We're gonna be living together you old nutcase! Let's find another apartment before it's too late-"

Jiraiya coughed loudly into his fist and cleared his throat. "It's too late. I like it here and I'm married sooo..."

Naruto's face disfigured openly. "What do you mean you like it here? How long have you been living here?"

"Er, well, about two hours."

"Why would baa-chan do that? She hates you!"

"She actually loves me. She just doesn't know it yet. But I think she's gettin' there. She gave me a half eaten grapefruit she didn't want the other day...my therapist said it's a huge improvement in our relationship."

Naruto made an odd-looking face and shook his head, trying to make sense out of this confusing situation. "Okay, listen Ero-sennin, I REFUSE to live in the same house as-"

"_What the hell are you doing here?_"

A petite, pink haired girl in school uniform was seen staring angrily at the blond boy at the top of the staircase.

"It was implied I never want to see your face again, asshole." Sakura spat.

There was an icy silence.

Jiraiya snapped his head toward Naruto and mouthed 'Ohoho' and continually looked back and forth between the teenage lovers.

"I don't want to be here." he tried to explain reasonably. "I just-"

"So go." Sakura threw him a cold glare.

Naruto sighed heavily in frustration and returned the glare. "Come on, Ero-sennin, let's get outta here."

"Don't let the door hit your bony ass on the way out." she sarcastically replied as he turned to go.

Naruto froze.

Nobody mentions his bony ass without suffering the consequences.

He immediately turned around with a mischievous smirk and patted his godfather on the back. "Thanks for the warm welcome, Ero-sennin. I think I'll like living here for the REST OF MY LIFE after all." his eyes searched the inside of the house with approval.

Sakura's face fell. "Whoa, what? I thought Tsunade was kidding about you living here."

Naruto ignored her. "So which way is my room?" he turned to Jiraiya.

"Uh..."

Sakura gaped. "No, you can't-!"

"Is it upstairs?" he walked briskly up the stairs and purposely brushed passed Sakura's shoulder. "This place is pretty awesome."

"You've been here before, jackass. Don't pretend like this is your first time! And what do you mean you're-!"

"I think I'll explore a little before I get settled in." Naruto faked a loud laugh.

"Haha! That's the spirit!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Wait!" Sakura roared, frozen on the spot. She couldn't bring herself to move and was helpless to put a stop to all the madness.

Guess fate doesn't want to keep them apart just yet...

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! Fanfiction was sort of nonexistent after school started, but again, my apologies! SORRYSORRYSORRY_

_I unexpectedly added a lot more to the prom series, so instead of being split into two, it'll be split into THREE. Next chapter is the last of prom - such a stressful event._

_AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!_


	13. Prom: The Drama Queen

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Thirteen

Prom: The Drama Queen

* * *

"Excuse me? You're living with the hottest girl in the world and that's excruciatingly painful how?" Kiba asked with half sarcasm and half genuine curiosity.

Naruto and Kiba finished setting the last table in the gym and wiped the sweat off their foreheads.

"I already told you." the blue eyed boy grumbled under his breath and casted a regretful look at Sakura, who he watched somberly on the other side of the gym. "We broke up. And it wasn't a friendly break up either. We're back to being...the way we were."

Shino came in carrying two chairs on each arm. "Enemies." he said stoically.

"Yup." Naruto muttered.

Lee came in with the last two chairs and settled it down next to the table. "That's the last of it. Now all we have to do is organize. Come on, guys! No rest until we get this done!" he shouted with his usual youthful energy.

Naruto and Kiba groaned loudly while Shino looked like he was on the verge of sighing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the gym:

Sakura constantly stole stealth glances at a certain blond haired boy.

That jerk. How dare he stand to be in the same room as her and act like he didn't care...

"Sakura, you're ruining everything!"

She snapped her head to the voice, expecting to find a screeching, blonde female in an oversexed school uniform. To her surprise, she found a silver headed man with an unusual black mask towering over her like a skyscraper.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei...I didn't-"

"Do I see little snowflakes on those balloons?" he abruptly interrupted. "No, no, no! This is a Vegas themed prom, not winter in wonderland! We did that last year!" he threw his arms in the air.

Sakura blinked in confusion. "But these are the only ones Ino bought."

Kakashi tapped his foot psychotically against the ground. "I swear that girl can't do anything right. Where is she? Ino! INO!" he frantically looked around. "Prom is tomorrow, people, and we're not even close to ready!" he stomped away with steam rising over his head.

"Gosh. I heard rumors about Kakashi being a drama queen the day before prom, but I didn't know it was true."

Sakura turned her head and found a tall, thin girl with dark hair wrapped neatly in two buns standing next to her. "What are you doing here?" Sakura's eyes narrowed as she pretended to work diligently on the balloons. "I thought you quit the committee."

The two stood a good distance away, not even bothering to look at each other.

Tenten smirked. "I came to lend Naruto a helping hand. And I'll do it even if it means risking my sanity being near _him_." her eyes fell on a spirited, bushy browed boy.

She shivered.

Sakura never understood Tenten's strong dislike for Lee, but that was hardly any of her concern. She snapped her head toward the so-called bisexual and threw her a deeply, severe glare. "Naruto doesn't need your help."

"Maybe not. But he sure didn't mind when I offered. And what do you care anyway? You guys are 'broken up'." she turned around and put on a big smile. "Hey, Naruto!" she called out and waved with enthusiasm.

Sakura saw Naruto stop his conversation with the guys and grin widely, waving back with the same amount of enthusiasm.

She inwardly gagged.

"One down, two more to go." Tenten's gaze fell on a blonde girl arguing loudly with Kakashi about balloons near the bleachers. "I have to go. My boyfriend's waiting for me." Tenten arrogantly shoved Sakura's shoulder as she quickly jogged toward the lovable class clown.

Sakura steamed vehemently, controlling every fiber of her being to not belt out, 'HE'S NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!'.

Instead, she popped a snowflake balloon with her pink, bedazzled hairpin to release her not-so-secretive outrage.

She never thought prom would be such a pain in the ass.

* * *

"Those aren't the chairs I told you to order, Shino!"

Shino stared blankly at the silver haired _promzilla_. "They're chairs. What's the difference?"

"It's supposed to be cushioned, burgundy velvet. This is red!"

Shino still couldn't quite see the difference.

"You've just ruined prom, Shino. I hope you're happy." Kakashi stormed away, yelling all kinds of frustrations at anyone his eyes laid on. "I hope you're ALL happy!"

When his eyes happen to catch Naruto and Kiba horsing around, throwing poker chips at each other, he fumed.

"What are you two ass-clowns doing!" he put his hands on his waist while angrily stomping towards them, looking extremely comical rather than authoritative. "THOSE ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR FUN! AND YOU'RE SPILLING FOOD EVERYWHERE!"

Naruto and Kiba hastily picked up their sandwiches and stood up. "I thought the whole point of this stupid prom thing was to have fun." said Naruto.

"Well, you're wrong. This is serious business and you two are complete and utter failures; I'm so ashamed, I can't even look at you guys." Kakashi gathered the boxes of chips, threw the two of them vicious glares and stomped away haughtily. "Everybody wants to ruin all my hard work." he grumbled for everyone to hear on his way out.

After about a second of silence, Kiba and Naruto fell into a gut-busting laugh.

"_I always thought he was a weirdo_." said a voice behind them.

The two boys turned to the source of the voice and saw an old man in his late seventies radiating an elderly smile.

"Sarutobi-sensei!" They exclaimed in unison and shook the man's hand with every ounce of excitement.

"Geez, gramps. I haven't seen you since freshmen year!" Naruto flashed a smile. "I assumed you were dead or something!" he laughed.

Sarutobi passed him an odd look.

"Because you're so old." the boy explained.

The old man rolled his eyes. "Why thank you, Naruto. You sure know how to talk to people." Sarutobi was oddly, and pleasantly surprised to find the loner and outcast of Konoha high hanging around the Inuzuka kid. That was certainly unexpected to see. "And Kiba! It's nice to see you too. I remember I couldn't understand a word you used to say under all that growling." they all laughed.

"Same here, old man." Kiba grinned. "It's been a long time."

"Eh?" Sarutobi's ears leaned closer. "Guess I still can't understand a word you say."

Kiba shrugged.

"Anyway." said Naruto. "What are you doing back in Konoha? And how's retirement?"

He was especially fond of this particular old man and always had the utmost respect for him. Naruto genuinely thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi as the caring, supportive grandfather type. This was a man he knew all his life; when Jiraiya left months at a time to do his 'research', Sarutobi was there to fill in the empty gap.

"Retirement is retirement." the old man shrugged. "But I'm here to see how Tsunade's holding this place up."

Naruto snorted. "Tsunade baa-chan's not as 'orthodoxed' as you were, but I think she's doing an awesome job." he grinned.

Sarutobi nodded very pleased. "I also came because I heard prom was coming up."

"It's actually tomorrow."

"Oh, good! Then I'm not too late."

The two boys gave him a questionable look.

"I have a surprise for you, Naruto." the old man grinned when the 'mischievous fox' perked up with interest. "How about wearing a tuxedo worn by the famous _Haruma Takeshi_?

Kiba nearly choked on his sandwich. "Haruma Takeshi? The famous actor in, like, the awesomest movie in history, 'Shippuden'?

Sarutobi nodded. "That's the guy. And it's the same tuxedo he wore in the movie."

Naruto was blown away. "How in the world did you get a tuxedo from him?"

"Let's just say I personally know that young man."

"Wow." Naruto and Kiba gaped. "I didn't know you were so cool."

Kiba, in his devious thoughts, had other plans than to let Naruto get his hands on his idol's tuxedo. "But Naruto, you're not going to prom remember?"

Naruto was seriously conflicted. "That's right. I did decide not to go..."

"That's too bad." said Sarutobi with a sigh. "I was hoping to give it to you, but I guess I'll have to give this suit to someone else-"

"ME!" Kiba jumped at the opportunity.

"Well, alright." said Sarutobi with a shrug.

Kiba's eyes sparkled in the light.

Naruto quickly intervened. "Wait, wait, wait. I change my mind. I'm gong to prom!" Besides, for the longest time, his gut feeling warned him that it was of the utmost importance to keep a look out for a certain someone...

"You can't change your mind!" Kiba argued eminently as his nose flared violently. "You don't even like prom!"

"You don't either!" Naruto loudly retorted.

"I like it more than you!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Boys! Boys!" Sarutobi placed both hands on each of their shoulders in attempt to calm them. "If you two can't come to an agreement, then I can't lend it to either of you."

Their faces fell dramatically.

"But you offered the tux to me first."

"But you said I could have it."

They complained equally like babies.

Sarutobi didn't quite know what to do.

Kiba figured it was time to pull out the 'sucking up' act, a skill he was naturally gifted at. "Sarutobi-sensei, I just wanna say you're an inspiration to me. I know I'm a nuisance, but if you ever need me in the future, I'll go out of my way for you, even though I'm just a total screw-up."

Sarutobi's face scrunched up. "What was that? All I heard were growls."

Naruto snuck up from behind and tapped the man's shoulder. "He said you're a nuisance to him and in the future, get out of his way. Oh, and he called you a total screw-up."

"Why, Kiba..." Sarutobi looked at the dog-like boy in shock.

Kiba panicked. "No, I didn't - SHUT UP!" he shouted at the blond fiend.

Naruto gasped. "He just told you to shut up!"

Sarutobi was perplexed.

"Why the hate Kiba?" Naruto pretended to look concerned.

"Yes, why the hate?" asked Sarutobi.

"No..I...grrr."

"And there he goes growing again." said Naruto, shaking in head in disappointment.

"Well, since Kiba is such a troubled young boy, I suppose the tuxedo belongs to you." Sarutobi gripped Naruto's shoulder.

"YES." Naruto threw a pumped up fist in the air.

"Inuzuka, I would work on that attitude if I were you." said Sarutobi, gravely concerned for the brown haired delinquent.

Kiba was speechless.

"Now if you two will excuse me, I'm going to say hello to my son and daughter-in-law. So long, fellas." He nodded to both of them and walked away.

Kiba looked at the boy who took in all of his success and crossed his arms. "I never thought you could be the devious type."

Naruto stopped in his glory and once again caught the sight of a beautiful, pink-headed girl stringing up a new set of balloons. "I never thought she would rub off on me."

Kiba realized who he was staring at and gave him a firm pat of support. "Ahh, you need to tux more than I do. Good luck with her."

Naruto gave him a nod of appreciation and continued to stare at the girl who got away.

* * *

After slaving away their lives yesterday, and part of today, the gym was officially prom-ready. The committee completed their jobs, and those in detention were finally set free.

Naruto should have been relieved, but was far from it. He laid lazily on his bed and had his hands placed beneath his head. He stared, for what seemed like hours, at the tuxedo Sarutobi dropped off, and inwardly sighed. It would be a shame to let a tux, worn by the famous Haruma Takeshi, go to waste...

But seeing Sakura with Sasuke would be just as bad.

He let out a loud groan and rolled over with his entire face sinking into his pillow.

Even though he and Sakura's living situation brought them closer than he could ever imagine, he felt as though they couldn't be farther apart. She went out of her way to make sure they never crossed paths, going through great lengths to do so...like climbing out of a three story window, shimmying down a tree, and falling into a mud pile. Naruto watched her do this every morning since he moved in. He would've laughed at the comedic sight in an entirely different situation...

But as of now, he felt rueful and hopeless. He knew he needed to talk to her soon.

She likes him.

She really does!

But he couldn't bring himself to confront her about it. Why did he have to be such a coward of all desperate and dire times!

Naruto groaned louder.

He heard his ring tone go off just seconds later, but was in no mood to answer his phone. He looked at the screen and sighed.

"Hey, Hinata-chan. What's up?"

"_Hi, Naruto-kun. Umm...I heard you changed your mind about prom._"

"Heh, yeah." he chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I got an awesome tuxedo, might as well show it off."

"_I see._" he heard her giggle. "_In that case, you'll need a date tonight._"

"I don't think-"

"_Naruto-kun, you have no excuses now._"

"I know." Naruto said sheepishly. "But I think Kiba wanted to go with you. Or was is Chouji..." he scratched his head, trying to recall his memory.

"_Kiba did ask me._"

"Great! Then I'll see you two there."

She ignored his comment. "_But I told him I preferred to go with my **boyfriend**._"

Neither spoke for a while. Naruto crossed his legs and played with the hem of his pants. "The thing about that..." he fidgeted nervously, hearing Hinata's faint, shallow breaths. "Sakura is...uhh...I'm sorta..."

"_In love with her._"

"..." Naruto didn't quite know how to respond to that. Instead, he waited patiently for a response from her.

"_Either way, you still need a date for prom...and Sakura's not available._"

That much was true. Naruto felt his heart drop a little.

"Okay. I'll go to prom with you, Hinata-chan."

* * *

Tuxed up and looking slick, Naruto nodded approvingly at his appearance in the hallway mirror and made his way for the door.

"Wait a minute, brat."

He stopped in his tracks when he heard that distinctive, familiar female voice reach his ears. He back tracked with a grin on his face and turned to face an old lady who looked far younger than she actually is.

"Baa-chan, how do I look?" he grinned and posed comically.

The blonde woman looked him over with a bright smile on her face. His tuxedo fit perfectly against his slender (not to mention muscular) body, and although there was still a slight messiness to his hair, it was somehow a bit more tamed than usual. He looked nothing less than perfect.

"Ahh, you look okay." she waved a hand.

They both laughed, sharing a tender moment that rarely happened. Tsunade was the closest thing to a motherly figure he ever had in his life. Like Jiraiya and Sarutobi, she also held a special place in his heart.

"Now say cheese." she magically pulled out a camera.

"Aww, come on, baa-chan. It's not like you're NOT gonna see me after I leave. You're coming to prom too."

"Just say it!"

Naruto grumbled under his breath and mustered his signature, carefree grin. "Cheese." He blinked after the flash was made and quickly grabbed his date's corsage and Jiraiya's car keys.

"Have fun!" Tsunade called.

Still grinning widely, he nodded.

RRRIINNGG

"Oh, but get the door first."

"Okay, okay." He laughed and jogged to the front door. When he opened the door, his smile immediately faltered.

Naruto supposed it was inevitable to run into him of all people at some point.

"Dobe."

"Teme."

Tsunade groaned. "Oh great. There's something wrong with this camera." she pressed random buttons on the device and sighed when it was no use. "Naruto, will you go to Sakura's room and tell her Sasuke's here. I'm going to try and find Jiraiya's camera. I know that pervert has one somewhere." she muttered, knowing the white haired man's tendency to visually save his 'work'.

"Wait! No! I can't-"

"Thanks!" she walked out of the living room.

Naruto stared back at Sasuke and likewise; the silence was undoubtedly ice cold. One would think being in this sitution would be awkward, but Naruto and Sasuke knew it was their usual routine to share and exchange hateful glares at each other.

An everyday procedure.

"Are you just going to make me wait out here?" Sasuke further narrowed his eyes at his rival. He never did like the whisker tattoos. What kind of idiot tattoos his face with whiskers? If you're going to get a tattoo, at least let it be the generic koi fish along the arm-

His train of thought was immediately interrupted when the door slammed in his face.

Naruto turned around and sighed. He hastened his pace up the stairs even though he dreaded the inevitable destination. Once he got to Sakura's door, he found a big sign with pink sparkly letters saying 'KEEP OUT' and rolled his eyes. He lifted his fist hesitantly and knocked on the door.

"_Come in! I need your opinion, quick!_"

Of course, Naruto knew she couldn't possibly know it was him who was currently waiting at her door. He shrugged and opened it anyway, figuring the unpleasant surprise would be pretty funny.

"Tsunade, what do you think about this dress-" Sakura was just about done putting on her earrings and froze when she realized she wasn't standing face to face with her godmother. "Oh." she stared at him awkwardly. "I thought you were...Tsunade."

Naruto was speechless.

She wore a floor length, white, halter dress that hugged her slender body. Naruto couldn't help but notice the slit on the side that revealed her perfectly shaped legs that would make any guy drool an ocean, and that included him. Her hair was done in a wavy, low, messy bun with a diamond jewel resembling a flower placed on the side. She completed the look with hoop earrings embellished with diamonds and a thin, silver bracelet.

"What are you doing in a tux?" she looked him up and down, suspicious.

She would never admit it, but right then and there, her heart stopped when she saw him.

_'Damn, he's good lookin'.'_ she cursed.

"Nothin'." he quickly said.

"Well, since you're here." she said softly. She turned around and Naruto nearly dropped.

The dress was made completely backless; 'Sexyback' was an understatement. He felt a sever nosebleed coming soon.

"What do you think?" she asked nervously.

"You...you uh..." Naruto stumbled on his words, thanking god that he at least didn't stumble on his feet. "I have to go." he quickly left the room without seeing her disappointed reaction and quickly shut the door. He leaned against her door and let out an incredibly shaky breath.

He knew it would take a while for him to fully compose himself. He needed to be alert, focused, and have the image of Sakura out of his head before picking up Hinata...his real date.

* * *

Tenten couldn't believe her luck.

No date. Last minute hand-me-down dress. And now she was standing in an endless line with Rock Lee right behind her.

"Hi, Tenten-san!"

He was ignored. The beautiful brunette wore a long, blue and green sequined, strapless, mermaid-like dress. Her hair flowed freely against her back instead of her usual twin buns. She looked breathtaking.

"You look really beautiful."

Tenten muttered a thanks.

Lee wasn't known for ending an awkward conversation. He sighed sadly and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tenten-san, I know you're still mad at me about...what happened."

"I really don't care." she whispered in secrecy. She couldn't believe he was bringing this up now!

"I only did it because I really liked you."

"And now you like Sakura, so all is right again."

Lee looked down at his shoes and his head fell shamefully. "I pretended to be a girl so you would notice me."

Thankfully, the fact that Lee just admit he cross-dressed wasn't entirely comprehended by the public. The fact that this average Joe was speaking to one of the hottest girls in school...that brought everyone to stare at the two oddly.

"You were a really ugly girl, Lee. I really don't care about this right now, so stop talking about it." she hissed quietly.

"But we have to! I don't want you to be mad at me so close to graduation day." he desperately pleaded. "We'll probably never have a chance like this again."

"Fine, you want to talk about this, we'll talk!" she pulled onto his collar and dragged him out of line to find somewhere private, leaving a lot of people to question what was just witnessed.

They stopped into the parking lot and she let him go angrily.

"You were the new kid at summer camp and nobody liked you. I was the only one who was nice to you, so why did you trick me!" she yelled, blowing straight to the point.

Lee frowned. "I didn't trick you...you just assumed I was a girl because of my long hair...and my love for glitter..."

Tenten exhaled a breath she had been holding in. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

"I..." Lee daintily placed in hands in his pants pocket and kicked a rock under his foot. "I heard you were a lesbian...who only talks to girls and ignores guys. I thought you wouldn't like me anymore if you knew I was actually a boy...so I didn't say anything when you started talking to me."

The brunette beauty opened her mouth to speak, but there were no words.

Lee continued. "I couldn't believe you wanted to talk to me of all people...you were the most beautiful girl I ever saw. I was in love with you."

Tenten's face fell and her eyes soften.

"I loved you too."

Lee smiled sadly. "But only as a girl."

Tenten sniffled and somehow managed not to ruin her make up. "I'm sorry."

He gave her his signature good-guy smile. "It's weird though. Naruto is a guy..."

"Definitely." Tenten laughed tenderly. "A really stupid guy."

"And yet you're in love with him."

Konoha's goddess wasn't even aware of her own smile.

"That's really funny!" Lee smiled brightly. "There must be something really special about him."

Tenten nodded. He had no idea just how special. "Thanks for not telling anyone about us." she smiled sadly at the bushy browed boy.

He did a thumbs up. "Don't worry! It's really embarrassing for me, too. If people knew I pretended to be a girl, they'll have more reason to question my sexuality."

For the first time in years, they laughed together in genuine friendliness.

"I know it's a little late, but...do you want to be my date tonight?" Tenten asked, still in a state of laughter.

Lee held out an arm for her to take. "Of course! I won't let my youth go to waste tonight!"

"Whatever that means." Tenten smiled and rolled her eyes, taking his arm.

* * *

Hinata couldn't believe how amazing the gym looked tonight. It looked like an actual casino! The tables looked like real, green poker tables and the chairs were velvety red. The gym was beautifully decorated Vegas style; Hinata's pearly white eyes caught flashing lights, giant paper mache dice and playing cards, glitter balloons, and more! She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw an actual bar where Asuma stood behind, dressed as a real bartender. However, to most of the students' disappointment, he only served non-alcoholic beverages.

"This place looks amazing."

Kakashi passed by with a ladle in his hand. "It better look amazing, I worked my ass off." and he disappeared into the crowd.

Hinata and Naruto both laughed.

"By the way, did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?" asked Naruto in what Hinata could have sworn to be nerves.

Hinata blinked out of her trance and looked at her sheepish date. "Yes, back at the mansion." she giggled, blushing furiously.

"Oh. Well, I just have to say it again." he turned on the boyish grin Hinata loved so much. "You look really pretty."

Hinata looked down and stared at her long, golden dress that hugged her chest tightly and flowed waist down in a puffy-like Cinderella dress. Her hair was done in an updo, pinned with authentic golden colored jewels.

In her bashful nature, she gulped and looked away. Her heart fluttered rapidly and she was sure her blood pressure rose to it's maximum level. For some reason, it affected her a lot more when he said it the second time.

"Look! There's Shizune nee-chan!" He tugged her hand as they walked into the 'casino' and found the dark haired woman smiling radiantly in a blackjack dealer suit. "Wow, nee-chan. You look great!" Naruto flashed her a grin.

"Thanks, Naruto!" she laughed with a slight flush in her face. "Here you go, take some poker chips."

"What's this for?" asked Hinata excitingly.

"Gambling!" said the Principal's secretary. "If you win enough chips, you can get yourself a little prize over there." she pointed at a stand where Jiraiya stood behind. He noticed his godson and his date standing near the entrance and winked at them.

"Cool! Hinata-chan, let's hit the crap tables. I'll win the biggest stuffed animal for you!" he laughed as he pulled her along.

Hinata couldn't love this boy any more than she did now.

Meanwhile, amongst the crowd:

Sakura couldn't believe what she was currently seeing.

Naruto at prom...

with Hinata!

"Want something to drink?" Sasuke asked, noticing how Sakura's grip on his arm grew tighter with every passing second.

"Sure." she hissed, hating what she was witnessing. It was like watching a horror movie: you know you'll get nightmares watching it, but you just can't look away. "This is just so fuckin' unbelievable!" she let go of Sasuke's bruised arm and hit the nearest person next to her.

"OW!" Ino gasped, gaping widely at the fuming girl in white. "What the hell was that for?"

"Oh, sorry. I just..." Sakura scoffed. "Well, actually I'm not that sorry since it's _you_." she eyed Ino's one shoulder, fuchsia pink mini dress that showed her off her jaw dropping, sexy curves. Her hair was done gorgeously in curls and Sakura rolled her eyes when she saw a tiara at the top of her head.

"Why you little-!"

"Ino." Sasuke caught the nearly fatal bitch slap before it would impact his date's beautiful face. "You might want to look over there." he pointed at Naruto and Hinata.

Ino was taken back by surprise and turned to where Sasuke pointed. She blinked in shock and gaped widely with undeniable disappointment and lividness. "What the fuck...I thought he wasn't going to prom!" in her magnifying rage, she hit the closest person next to her.

"OW!" Kakashi rubbed his arm and threw Ino an insulted look. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Sorry, sensei, I..." Ino paused. "Actually, I'm not that sorry since you yelled at me yesterday for _supposedly_ buying the wrong balloons."

"Well ya did!" Kakashi continued to rub his arm and went on his way.

"Come on, Sasuke, let's go." Sakura took the boy's hand and led him away from the ghastly sight.

"Ugh!" Ino's eyes burned furiously as she forced herself to look at anything other than Naruto and the little tramp. "Where the hell is my date! Shibakare! SHIBAKARE!"

* * *

Asuma couldn't help but find Sakura's problem very amusing. As the 'bartender' of tonight's prom, he felt it was his duty to help out his costumers in need.

"How are you doing, Sakura?" he cleaned a new glass and poured her a new drink.

She gulped it down in a second. "Ah." she sloppily wiped her mouth and slammed the glass on the table, indicating her math teacher to pour in more.

Asuma obliged.

"Nothing...I'm just fine." her eyes seem to narrow more and more as she watched two specific people on the dance floor.

"Where's your date?"

Sakura shook out of a dangerous trance and blinked. "Huh? Oh. Him. Yeah. He's somewhere." she waved off.

Incredible. Asuma was deeply impressed by Sakura's ability to NOT CARE about the infamously beautiful Sasuke Uchiha, a boy the school's female population slaved over. His eyes traveled to the source of her heated glares and found her boyfriend dancing with one of his many beautiful girlfriends.

Ahhh.

"So why aren't you dancing with your boyfriend over there?" asked Asuma.

Sakura reflected her anger at Asuma. He nearly fainted by the harshness of her glare. "He's not my boyfriend anymore." Fortunately for the math teacher, she once again continued to stare at the couple on the dance floor. "Look at him...he dances like a retarded monkey." she muttered as she watched him take up most of the floor, dancing elaborately silly as Hinata tried to keep up with his stamina.

So, the class clown and class beauty isn't together anymore? That was news to Asuma, but he knew it was a matter of time before one of the goddesses cracked. There isn't a normal girl in the world that could stand sharing a boyfriend with three other girls, all of whom happen to be insanely beautiful. "Maybe it's for the best...now you can focus all your attention on Uchiha." suggested Asuma, eyeing her reaction.

"What? Oh. Nah." she gestured him to pour in another drink. "Sasuke's just a friend. He's only my date because that punk-ass didn't want to go with me in the first place. Far be it for me to go to prom without a date."

Asume's eyes widened slightly. Sasuke and friend are two words that don't mesh well at all.

Sakura gulped down another drink and her aura seemed to darken the more she drank. "But that little fucker is here with fuckin' Hinata, and fuck! This is just fuckin' fuck, fuck fuck!" she violently slammed her glass on the table, scaring Asuma half to death. "Gimme another drink!"

"Yes, ma'am." he quickly opened a new carton of orange juice and poured it in.

* * *

"He looks like a retarded monkey!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and lazily rested his cheek on the palm of his hand. "You said that about five times already."

Being the prom date of one of the four goddesses should have made him the happiest guy alive. However, that currently wasn't the case at all. This possibly had to be the worst night of his life. All this girl could ever talk about was Naruto and that 'dirty, rotten, slut'.

"That dirty, rotten, slut." the beauty with pale blonde hair and pale blue eyes taunted as she watched from afar the couple on the dance floor. "And that lying, retarded monkey..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"After all that shit about being against prom and never going if his life depended on it. What a bunch of bull!" she thrashed in her seat.

The two sat alone on a table seated for ten and there was an awkward silence despite all the loud, booming music. Shikamaru's eyes fell randomly at the bar where he saw another fuming, female beauty. He sighed once more.

How troublesome...

"Do you want to get a drink?" he offered.

"Not with that slut polluting the area." she snorted, throwing a hateful glare at the pink-headed girl. "Can you believe Naruto? How can he just show up with Hinata and not even bother to-"

"Listen, Ino-"

"Wait, shut up, I'm talking, Shizukame." she rudely replied. "How could Naruto not even-"

"INO!" Shikamaru shouted, surprising even himself.

...

The gorgeous blonde gaped, speechless. There wasn't a guy in the world who ever yelled at her like that...

"Stop talking about Naruto and all the sluts for one second and let me tell you something you're probably never gonna hear from a guy again." his black beady eyes focused deeply into hers.

Ino blinked.

"At the end of the day, you're nice to look at," he started, not once breaking his concentration staring at what he thought was the most beautiful girl tonight. "but when it all come down to it, that's all you're good for...just something nice to look at." he lifted himself up pushed his chair in. "Let's pretend this whole prom-date thing never happened, okay? And by the way, I know you know my name is Shikamaru. We've known each other since PRESCHOOL. Stop pretending to be this popular girl who's reputation involves being a bitch to everyone." with one last look (regret, perhaps?), he pushed through the crowd, leading to a table full of all the 'losers' without a date.

Ino knew she should have been angry, but her fury deteriorated and was turned only into shock and humiliation. She slouched slowly in her chair and sulked silently.

She couldn't believe that guy!

That Shikamaru...

* * *

"Another!" Sakura lifted her glass and shook it in Asuma's face.

The math teacher watched terrifyingly as the girl in front of him seemed far too...buzzed on orange juice. He sniffed the carton and his face scrunched into confusion. No traces of alcohol anywhere.

"Whazz takin' so looong!" she slurred.

Not only was her speech a tad hard to comprehend, but her eyes constantly fluttered open and close and she was on the verge of falling off the bar stool. Asuma took a whiff of her breath and could only smell orange juice.

How odd.

"I think you've had enough for tonight, Sakura." said Asuma, taking away her glass.

The girl stared at him with those blazing, green eyes. "The drinks are non-alcoholic, sensei."

"Well, yeah, but why are you acting drunk?"

"JUST GIMME ANOTHER DAMN GLASS!"

Asuma stumbled on his feet in horror and quickly poured another glass of orange juice.

"_Attention. Can I have everyone's attention? We have everyone's votes and it's time to announce prom king and queen._"

The music came to a sudden pause, and everyone in the gym focused their excitement on Kakashi standing on stage with a mysterious envelope in his hand.

Kakashi's eyes twinkled in the spotlight. He opened the envelope and read the results word for word. "This year's prom drama queen of Konoha High School is Kakashi Hata - okay, veeerry funny! Who did this!" he waved the letter in a humorously, angry fit. "It was you wasn't it, Jiraiya!"

The large, white haired man stood on the side of the stage and slapped his knee, laughing like a hyena.

"Okay, looks like we'll need a little more time to count up the real votes, but thanks for ruining prom JIRAIYA!" Kakashi violently trashed his arms about.

Sakura gulped down her latest drink and blew a raspberry with her lips fluttering about. Being the senior prom queen was a longtime dream ever since she was a little girl and saw 'Carrie' for the first time on the Syfy channel. Now she couldn't care less about anything and only wanted another glass of orange juice.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned her head lazily to find Sasuke setting himself on the next bar stool.

"Where the hell have you been?" she burped incredibly loud.

Sasuke blinked. His date might be a little gross tonight, but at least she looks beautiful. "I was on facebook."

"Oh." Sakura sighed. "Chatting with your brother in private?"

Sasuke nodded, putting away his iPhone. "Yeah. Haven't heard from him in a while, and he only decides to IM me on prom night. I knew he was always a jerk." he scoffed.

"Well, you didn't miss everything. They're about to announce prom king and queen."

Sasuke inwardly groaned. "Let's get out of here."

"Fine with me." Sakura struggled to stand up.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Naruto briefly searched for a pink head, finally building the courage to have a long-awaited talk with her after his wild monkey dance. He was ready to tell her his true feelings and hoped to somehow fix their relationship. When he saw Sasuke leading Sakura away to the exit by hand, he immediately broke free from Hinata's hold and pushed himself through the crowd.

"Naruto-kun, where are you-"

"I have to tell her now. I can't wait anymore!" he quickly said without looking back.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata tried to call out to him.

But it was far too late for her; she knew she had been fighting a losing battle.

There was no point in asking him to stay with her any longer...

* * *

"Sakura! Wait!" Naruto desperately shouted out to her.

He moved faster through the crowd and was finally able to close the gap between them.

"Sakura, wait." he grabbed her bare shoulder, forcing her to turn around.

The beauty dressed in white swapped Naruto's hand away furiously and glared insanely sharp daggers at him. "I don't wanna fuckin' talk to you. Just leave me alone."

At this point, the nearest crowd of students exchanged secretive whispers and stole constant glances at the arguing ex couple.

"But you have to know how I-"

Sakura interrupted, either on the verge of tears or barfing orange juice. "Why did you come here?" she shook her head and released a soft, ironic chuckle. "Oh, never mind. I already know: you're willing to go to prom...as long as it isn't with _me_." she quietly retorted with downcast eyes.

Naruto frowned. "That's not true." he once again laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I just-"

"Don't touch her, dobe." Sasuke shoved his chest away. "She told you to leave her alone."

Naruto stumbled a couple of steps away and scowled angrily at the raven haired 'god'. "This has nothing to do with you, Teme." he shoved back with a greater amount of force.

"Stop it, you guys-" Sakura quickly moved aside when she saw that they were about go after each other.

"_Alright! We finally have the prom king and queen tallied. And this year's prom king and queen are...SASUKE UCHIHA AND SAKURA HARUNO!_" Kakashi quickly announced before Naruto and Sasuke would tackle each other to the ground.

A loud 'HELL NO!' was heard through the silence of the gymnasium, which we could only assume belonged to the competing nominee, Ino Yamanaka.

Naruto and Sasuke both came to an immediate stop when they were caught in the spotlight. The spotlight also fell on Sakura, and there was an awkward scatter of applause once everyone came to realize a fight was about to transpire.

"Sakura and Sasuke, please come up to the stage and claim your crown." Kakashi leaned closer to the microphone.

The prom king and queen slowly composed themselves and walked to the stage together as the crowd cleared a path. Sakura briefly turned to see the downhearted Naruto watching as he was being left behind. She then turned straight ahead, holding her breath.

As Naruto watched her step on stage with Sasuke, something deep inside him stirred passionately...

He couldn't help it; he had to do something.

As soon as the crowns were placed on Sakura and Sasuke's head, Naruto ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't care what people thought, he never did. All he wanted to do was tell her...

And he had to tell her now!

He didn't care how he told her! Alone...to the entire world...in front of hundreds of students at prom...he had to say...

"Wait!" he jumped on stage before the traditional prom king and queen dance would occur.

Sakura slowly tore herself away from Sasuke when she saw Naruto catching his breath, standing face to face with her. Her emerald eyes widened.

"Naruto!" she whispered loudly. "What are you-"

"I love you."

...

The crowd below closely watched the love triangle on stage, quietly and intensely, as if it were a TV drama on the SOAP network. Their jaws dropped open and nobody dare said a single word. Jiraiya dropped the curtain on the three and everyone on the floor groaned and complained loudly as if their show was abruptly being canceled.

"Come on, Kakashi. Let's have these kids work it out themselves." Jiraiya put an arm around the history teacher's shoulder and led him backstage.

Kakashi glared. "This was the worst prom ever!" he made an odd noise of frustration.

"Sasuke...is it okay if..." Sakura started.

The onyx eyed boy, just like Hinata, felt like he was fighting a lost cause. He nodded and walked backstage toward the exit without a word. There was really nothing to say after Naruto made that startling confession in front of the entire school. For the first time in Sasuke's life, he knew he couldn't compete with that...

As soon as his steps were faint to the point of non-existent, Sakura crossed her arms and let out an uneasy breath. "Is it true? What you just said..."

"I would never lie to you, Sakura."

"You lied to me about prom."

"I didn't! I was just...this tux...you and Sasuke..." he sighed heavily and felt his heart slowly dropping. "More than anything, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with teme lurking around."

Sakura shook her head. It was funny how this boy, the former loser of Konoha High, could make her the happiest girl alive...and also the most miserable. "You know, when I first realized your kiss had the power to bring my F's up to A's...I only thought of you as my lucky charm, something I could use to help boost my grade point average...nothing else."

Naruto stood silently, not even bothering to move a finger.

"My grades improved, but so did our relationship." she smiled sadly. "You weren't just my lucky charm anymore. In fact, you weren't my lucky charm at all. You were my friend." The intensity of her emerald eyes pierced his heart. "And then I realized we were more than friends. Even though we were pretending to go out, I wanted to believe it was all real...and for a while, I did."

Naruto was completely stuck. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her as tight as he could. Why couldn't he?

"So," she let out a soft, shaky laugh. "with all that said..."

She walked towards him, slowly closing the gap between them.

"I love you, too."

Sakura cupped Naruto's face and pulled him in, pressing her lips against his.

* * *

The crowd of students stood silently without a word, not even a whisper, not even a falling hairpin...

Complete silence as they stared blankly at the closed curtained stage.

"Wow." Sarutobi stood next to Tsunade and Jiraiya, his oldest and favorite students. They watched the fallen curtain just as intently as everyone else in the gym.

"I can't believe Kakashi forgot to turn off the mike..." Jiraiya's eyes widened considerably. "...he definitely made this the greatest prom ever."

Tsunade shook her head in disbelief. "It all makes sense now. This explains Sakura's skyrocketing straight A's...Naruto and all his girlfriends...I thought that was a little odd..."

Sarutobi threw her an unconvincing look. "You actually believe all this luck nonsense?"

"How do you think Jiraiya got all those beautiful women to sleep with him over the years?"

"True."

"A little bit of luck and a little bit of booze." the large man winked without any shame.

The school principal suddenly looked like she was deep in thought. "I wonder if Naruto's lucky kiss works on gambling debts..."

"Gross, Tsunade." muttered her husband.

"I'm kidding!" she slapped his back. "But seriously, I'm beginning to rethink having the Sunagakure students visit this year."

Sarutobi immediately intervened. "Absolutely not. It's tradition for our sister school to visit once a year."

The current principal snorted. "I don't know if you've noticed, old man, but it's getting a little crazy here. Especially now with Naruto's secret power revealed. He'll have to beat girls off with a stick from here on."

"Not to mention the guys."

Sarutobi and Tsuande looked oddly at Jiraiya.

The white haired man shrugged in defense. "Hey, I'm just saying with the grades I had in high school, I would kiss a guy for an A."

Tsunade tsked and crossed her arms, ignoring Jiraiya's comments all together. "I wonder if this year's Suna kids are as fucked up as our Konoha kids."

"I guess you'll just have to find out." Sarutobi sighed in relief. "Thank god I won't be here..."

Tsunade also sighed. "Well, things couldn't possibly get any worse, can they?"

"Tsunade-sama! We have a problem!" a dark haired woman rushed through the still-silent crowd. "It's about the girl's bathroom on all the floors!"

The big-breasted woman inwardly groaned. "Of course. What did he do now?"

"He somehow managed to replace all the toilets with urinals." Shizune said nervously.

"What?"

"Urinals, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Now how the hell was that punk able to do that?"

Shizune gave her a light hearted smile. "Well...because he's Naruto."

"He's Naruto." All three elders repeated with affection (and a little irritation on Tsunade's part).

That boy sure made a mess this year.

* * *

_A/N: WOW that was a really long chapter, wasn't it? I just couldn't wait to update this baby! _

_Thank you guys so much for the reviews! It feels good to read some feedback (in case that wasn't clear enough, PLEASE REVIEW!) _

_:)_

_ I know many of you were disappointed with my "tardiness", so hopefully updating the 13th chapter this early made it all up_

_And i know some of you have been anticipating a Gaara appearance..._

_Well, that's all I'm gonna say ;)_


	14. Sunagakure Invasion

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Fourteen: Sunagakure Invasion

* * *

He didn't like this place.

It was frighteningly weird how nobody seemed to notice him. Anyone with an active brain could see that a strange kid with extremely overdone eyeliner was stalking the halls of Konoha high with an air of imminent peril.

Instead, they seemed to be in their own world, talking about some kid named...

"Naruto!"

"Where!" a bouncy, pigtailed girl searched her surroundings in excitement.

"False alarm." said a girl next to her as everyone around grumbled. "It's just some dumb-ass with blond hair."

"When the hell is Uzumaki going to get here?"

Naruto...Uzumaki?

The boy with excessive eyeliner narrowed his eyes in thought. That name sounded oddly familiar. His eyes traveled randomly to the entrance/exit of the building...

He hated everything, and that included his home in Suna,

but it was a hell of a lot better than being stuck in this bizarre alternate universe where nobody seemed to fear him.

Gaara Sabaku lived on fear.

As he headed for the exit, his eye caught sight of a tall, blond boy with whisker tattoos on his face, holding a cell phone to his ear. Gaara stopped walking when he realized time just froze and everybody was held in silence, staring at the boy who just entered the building.

The boy was slow to notice their attention on him. "Sakura, I swear to you, I didn't eat your chocolate pancakes for breakfast this morning...I wasn't running away!...okay, fine, I ran away, but NOT because I ate your chocolate pancakes!...No, I-"

He stopped in his tracks, finally realizing all eyes were glued to him.

Gaara was very confused.

And so was the boy, apparently.

"Uh, Sakura, I'll call you back." he touched his screen and slowly put it away in his pants pocket. He observed the school hall, scattered with numerous female students (which Gaara thought very odd), all focused entirely on him. "Helloooo."

They had a peculiar look in their eyes; a look Gaara was unfamiliar with,

but a look Naruto knew all too well.

He immediately turned around and sprinted out the door.

"GET HIM!" roared the girl with pigtails.

The crowd of students stormed after the boy, pushing and shoving Gaara aside as if he were invisible.

That was definitely a new experience for him.

Who the hell is this Naruto Uzumaki?

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe that jerk.

First he secretly eats her chocolate pancakes while she's getting dressed for school,

and then he runs away before she could smack the living hell out of him!

The pink haired girl sighed, not really caring about the pancakes at all. She and Naruto spent the entire weekend alone together, and all the while, she felt like she was in heaven. She loved how Naruto tried to be, what he thought, was a good boyfriend. Sakura smiled thinking about the time he left a single daisy outside of her room...

Sure, he secretly plucked it out of Tsunade's 'off-limits' prized garden, but it's the thought that counts. And it was a very sweet thought, too.

Too bad they were immediately interrupted once she entered the school building. She examined her surroundings and found that it was completely inhabited by the male student body.

Where'd all the girls go?

An imaginary light bulb flashed above Sakura's head and she saw a clear image of Naruto...

being chased by hundreds of girls.

The only girl in the hall burned furiously. She wasn't sure how the secret got out, but after checking her facebook status yesterday, she was shocked, to the point of suffering a borderline heart attack, that many of her friends (a whopping 1,000+) could only write about Naruto's lucky kiss and how they were going to 'get him'.

What the shizz?

Obviously, it killed her that everyone knew! She wanted to murder the person who spilled the beans...having no idea that it was actually **herself** that 'spilled the beans'. However, her murderous intentions were easily forgotten when Naruto came into her room, happily presenting her with an original ramen recipe he named 'The Sakura'.

Her heart melted and that was the end of her daily facebook check ups.

So it was decided: as soon as Sakura finds Naruto, she'll torture the mob of girls who dared to even TRY to kiss her man, then she'll torture her man who ate all of her chocolate pancakes.

Good plan.

Okay, so what's with this creep blocking her way?

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the red haired boy and tapped her foot against the floor. "Move your emo ass out of my way. I have a bunch of bitches to torture."

The boy was caught by surprise, but composed himself and continued to look dangerous. "Make me."

The boys in the hallway stopped their daily routine before class and gawked frightfully at the scene. Now this is what Gaara was talking about.

Except for some reason, he had a feeling they weren't gawking frightfully at him...

"Are you fuckin' mental or something?" asked the girl rhetorically.

Gaara smirked maliciously. "I was admitted into a mental hospital once. Don't be surprise if I attack you on the spot." his aura darkened. "I might just kill you..."

That definitely got her to shut up. This would be the pink headed girl's cue to run for her life.

But to Gaara's shock, she did no such thing.

"You think threats are going to scare me?" she scoffed arrogantly, flipping her hair aside with poise. Apparently, this guy didn't know he was currently looking at the goddess of fear and despair. "If anything, you're _irritating me to death_." she mocked.

"As long as it kills you." his quiet, piercing voice would have anyone shaking in their boots.

Interestingly enough, there was no trace of fear in her expression. "Listen, if you don't get out of my way then-"

"Then what..." Gaara crossed his arms. "_Pinky_?"

At this point, the boys in the hallway decided going to class was a lot safer than being here. Soon enough, the area was completely deserted with the exception of Gaara and this strange, fearless girl.

Sakura straightened her posture and held her head high.

_Oh no he di'int._

"Okay."

Gaara watched her walk toward to him. He couldn't help but feel a deeper chill every time she took a closer step.

"Here's what'll happen." she spoke into his ear with such malevolence, his shock couldn't quite process what was going on. "I will literally slice your dick off with a dull razor blade and feed them to rabid dogs."

Gaara inwardly gaped.

"Then I will starve them to the point of death until all they will want is a taste of your salty, disfigured balls. As soon as I let them loose into the night...they will track you down...and eat you."

The awfully specific (and graphic) way of threatening his life brought Gaara to a complete silence. With a blank face, he slowly moved aside and cleared Sakura's path.

"That's what I thought, _Red_." she smirked and passed him by without so much as a glance.

As Gaara watched her fade away down the hall, his mind lingered solely on two things:

Naruto Uzumaki,

and the spawn of satan with bubblegum colored hair.

* * *

Naruto was traumatized.

He didn't know how the entire student body found out about his secret 'power', but this knowledge brought physical pain to his body.

Those Konoha girls are vicious...

Waiting nervously in the principal's office, he sat himself down, flinching every time he heard someone coming near the door. He didn't exactly know why Tsunade called him in here in the first place, but he hoped to god she would be kind enough to let him stay in her office, possibly forever.

The door opened slowly, and Naruto nearly screamed for his life.

"Oh, it's only you, baa-chan." he sighed in relief.

And some weird lookin' kid with eyeliner standing right behind her.

The image of a raccoon entered his mind.

They entered further into the room, and Tsunade's eyes widened. "Naruto, what happened to you?" she pulled out a handkerchief, wiping his entire face. "You're covered in lipstick!"

He shuddered. "The girls..." the traumatic memory haunted him. "They just started attacking me...and anyone who got in the way." he fervently remembered how the female body scratched, slapped, and kicked each other to get to the 'lucky charm'. He never witness so many cat fights in his life.

"Huh..." Tsunade gestured the raccoon boy to take a seat next to Naruto as she sat comfortably in her own. "...that must have been interesting."

Naruto looked bitter. "It would've been...if I wasn't their target."

"Well, get used to it, kid. Your lucky kiss is public news now; girls will hunt you down whether you like it or not." said Tsunade without a single tone of remorse.

"Thanks a lot, baa-chan."

The boy sitting next to Naruto was lost in confusion.

Lucky kiss?

Konoha's principal smiled. "In spite of all this craziness, we have a visitor." she gestured towards the red head.

Naruto turned his head and gave the boy a nod of acknowledgement. "Hey."

"..." the boy didn't make a sound. He only stared Naruto down as if he were trying to figure him out.

Tsunade continued. "This is Gaara Sabaku. He's a student from our sister school, Sunagakure high. Gaara, this is Naruto Uzumaki, the kid I told you about."

Gaara didn't give any sign of acknowledgement, although his eyes were intently focused on the boy who was chased down by a pack of wild girls.

"Every year we invite one student from Suna to come to Konoha high and send one student from Konoha high to go to Suna." she explained.

Naruto's eyes brightened with hope. "Does this mean you're sending me to Suna?"

"Of course not." Tsunade crushed his spirit. "That honor goes to the best student of our school, that being _Sasuke Uchiha_."

His spirit was further crushed. "Then what the hell am I doing here?"

"This may come as a shock to you," explained Tsunade. "but the honor of guiding our visitor goes to the most popular kid in school."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "That would be Sakura, right?"

"In the past it would have been." the principal nodded in agreement. "However, that title has officially been passed down to _you_."

The poor boy was still confused.

"You have to admit, Naruto." Tsunade's eyes were sympathetic. "Due to your unusual circumstances, people want to be near you."

"Not in a good way!"

"You may not know this, but even before your secret got out, you were the most likable kid in school."

That definitely got Naruto to calm down. "Really?"

Tsunade gave him a reassuring nod and a compassionate smile. "All the teachers tell me the students have really warmed up to you."

Naruto sat quietly, deep in thought. It was true people didn't react to him the way they used to. In fact, now that he really thought about it, they really did warm up to him. The hateful looks and vicious taunts were replaced by smiles and pleasant small talk. It was weird...

yet incredibly wonderful.

He leaned into his seat and beamed stupendously. "Who woulda thought the outcast of Konoha high would be the most popular guy in school?" he laughed.

"Not in a million lifetimes."

"Thanks, baa-chan."

The woman chuckled.

"Come on, Gaara." Naruto quickly jumped out of his chair and threw the raccoon a boyish smile. "You can help me pull a prank on Iruka-sensei."

The student from Suna slowly picked himself up and followed Naruto out the door without a single expression.

* * *

Gaara crossed his arms, curiously watching Naruto pull out a wig, some clothes, and a mustache out of his big, orange bag.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing with all these disguises." Naruto flashed him a grin and removed his uniform, quickly replacing it with a janitor's outfit.

Gaara made no indication that he was interested (but secretly, he was thinking 'What the fuck.').

"I use these to get away with pranks. If I couldn't run away fast enough, I'd hide somewhere, put on a disguise, and walk away without anyone recognizing me." he laughed proudly at his many accomplishments. He cradled his bag affectionately. "Just remember one thing, Gaara: backpacks aren't made to carry boring textbooks...they're made to keep your disguises safe in case you're in a sticky situation."

"I don't need disguises." the red head bluntly replied. "I can get away with anything without getting in trouble."

Naruto carefully smoothed out his mustache. "Really? What's your secret?"

"Threatening to kill whoever gets in my way."

...

Naruto slapped his mustache on and flattened his hair to pull a black wig over it. "Huh. That sounds like somebody I know." he thought of a deceivingly sweet and beautiful face.

"But why are you using your disguise now?" Gaara watched him stuff his backpack under his janitor's uniform, creating the illusion of a big belly. "You haven't even pulled your prank yet."

"Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures. I. Need. To. Get. Away. From. Those. Damn. Girls." Naruto bit out in frustration.

Gaara raised an non-existent eyebrow. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"What's all this about a lucky kiss?"

Naruto fell silent. Gaara watched curiously as the boy's face paled dramatically. "You don't wanna know."

Gaara left it at that.

As soon as Naruto was pleased with his appearance, he and Gaara stepped out of the janitor's closet (not before grabbing a mop to complete the look) and walked down the empty hallway.

"_Naruto, there you are!_"

When Gaara turned around, his eyes widened slightly, barely enough to notice.

It was the spawn of satan.

He felt an urging need to protect his dick.

"Oh, Sakura!" Naruto coughed nervously. "Hiiiii."

"Don't 'hi' me." she poked a finger at his chest and glared demonically, ignoring Gaara all together. "You ran away without walking me to school."

Naruto put his hands up in defense. "I wasn't running away! Jiraiya ate your pancakes, I swear!"

"Who cares about the damn pancakes!" Sakura paused and brought her face closer to Naruto's while he gulped nervously. She brought her finger up to his cheek and viciously wiped a particular spot with one stroke. "Lipstick." she hissed.

"Uhh...it's mine."

"You wear pink lipstick?"

"...yes..."

"Why?" she eyed him suspiciously.

"..." Naruto stalled. "...I'm a transvestite?"

"I'll kill them. I'll kill them all!" Sakura raged horrifically, bringing darkness upon the school.

For the first time in his life, Gaara couldn't help it: he gaped.

"Where are you going!" Naruto shouted out to her as she stomped away, crushing anyone that would get in her way.

"Class!" she walked further down the hall.

"What about the kiss? Kakashi's passing out a test today!"

"Don't need it." she winked. "I'm conquering this shit on my own." she gave him a wave, however, still not giving up on her violent thoughts. "And take off that stupid disguise. I could still spot you a mile away!"

Naruto sighed in relief as she disappeared into the hallway. She didn't kill him for the pancakes...

"You know pinky?"

Naruto turned to look at Gaara and smiled. "Of course! She's my girlfriend."

Gaara shook his head; it was unbelievable. "I never thought I'd admit this...but I have the utmost respect for you."

The 'fat janitor' shrugged. "I know, she's beautiful."

"No. Not because of that." said Gaara. "She's fucking scary. Anyone able to bear her for an entire minute has my deepest respect."

Another thing Gaara never thought he would admit...

knowing someone was even scarier than him.

Naruto raised a dubious eyebrow. "So how did she traumatize you?" he asked as if it were an everyday question.

"She threatened to cut off my dick and feed it to rabid dogs."

Naruto sighed. He clasped Gaara's shoulder and grinned sympathetically. "She probably meant that."

Great.

Despite slightly fearing for his life, Konoha was beginning to look a lot better than he had originally thought. Naruto Uzumaki was the most highly unusual kid he's ever known. Not only was he easy to talk to (which in Gaara's case, is a miracle), he was pleasant to be around with. That's saying something knowing the 'emo eyeliner freak' didn't think anything was pleasant.

"Come on!" Naruto tightened his grip on the supply of pranks and motioned his new friend to follow along. "I wanna get this done before second period." his crystal blue eyes brightened mischievously.

The moment Gaara took a step, he saw Naruto's mischievous eyes widen with horror. Before he could take another step, he found himself being pushed and shoved...

again.

"THERE HE IS!"

"GET HIM!" a crowd of screeching girls lunged for Naruto's face.

Dropping his supplies, he ran desperately for his life. "Gaara! I'll find you later!"

The red headed boy stood silently in shock.

This alternate universe was starting to creep him out.

* * *

Running into each other was inevitable at some point. Both the girl and boy stopped in front of each other, not exactly sure whether they should speak up or pass each other by.

Ino swallowed her pride and spoke first. "Hi..." she cleared her throat. "_Shikamaru_."

The spiky haired boy nervously opened his mouth. "Hey, Ino." he was glad she at least had the decency to call him by his real name.

"About what happened at prom..." she began.

After about ten seconds of waiting for a response, Shikamaru inwardly sighed knowing there wasn't going to be any.

"It's okay, Ino. Let's just forget about it."

"No!" her sudden outburst caused Shikamaru to blink wildly. "I mean..." she composed herself. "I can't forget about it. What you said-"

"Yeah, um, about that." he looked at her sheepishly. "Every time I think back on it, I always feel ashamed of what I said to you that night." he smiled apologetically.

Ino couldn't help but feel a little charmed. She never did see him smile like that before...

"I'm sorry."

She was speechless. He was so sincere and genuine. The only other person she ever knew with such sincerity was...

Naruto.

Ino shook her thoughts of him away. Naruto was far out of her reach; the only person who could ever have his heart, is admittedly, her former best friend, Sakura. Over the extremely short weekend, Ino had no choice but to finally accept that hurtful fact.

"Do you wanna walk me to my next class?" Ino asked, surprising both herself and Shikamaru.

His dark eyes widened. "Y-Yeah, sure." he sputtered. The boy known as the 'laziest guy in the world' never expected to have anything to do with Ino Yamanaka, the goddess of Konoha high, especially after that fateful night at prom.

Shikamaru knew her relationship with Naruto was all a sham, but he hoped his blue eyed prankster of a friend didn't mind the sudden spark that lit up in his heart.

* * *

Gaara was deeply disturbed by his tour guide's choice of...disguise.

"How's my makeup?" Naruto batted his eyelashes and applied a little more pink lipstick. He wasn't lying when he said it was his.

The emo boy didn't say a word. Not only was the guy dressed like a girl...

he was also very pretty.

Not cool at all.

"Where are we going?" Gaara changed the subject.

Naruto straightened his skirt and fixed his oversized breasts. "Lunch with the guys. Today's mystery meatloaf day."

Disgusting. But Gaara couldn't care less. "Will satan's daughter be joining us?"

"Not today. She has detention with Tsunade baa-chan. Apparently she caught Sakura threatening the lives of a bunch of freshmen girls in the gym during third period." he shook his head shamefully. "It's too bad...I really wanted her to meet the guys. But I guess you're a pretty good substitute!" he firmly patted Gaara's back.

Gaara didn't dare express his utter relief.

Once they got to their destination in the cafeteria, Naruto spotted the usual table, grateful that nobody else saw through his disguise.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto and Gaara reached the table of six boys, casually talking about random things with a laptop sitting in the middle. "This is Gaara. He's visiting us from Suna."

Everyone around the table stared at the odd girl in confusion...except Kiba.

The dog-like boy turned to Naruto with a 'smooth' smile and wiggled his eyebrows. "Why, hello little lady." he winked and sexily ran a hand through his brown hair.

Naruto was aghast. "Kiba, it's me!"

"Wha..." Kiba looked closer and choked on air. "Naruto!"

"Shh!" the blond transvestite nudged his friend's arm. "I'm in disguise."

Kiba's face twitched in horror. "Oh my god." his mouth threatened to retch. "I can't believe I just imagined you soaking naked in a pink, hot, bubble bath!"

Gaara was terribly troubled.

This was seriously the gayest school ever.

"What the hell gives you the right to dress up like a hot chick!" Kiba actually threw up in his mouth.

"I don't know, ask all those stupid girls who keep trying to kiss me!" Naruto exclaimed. He shoved Kiba aside to make room for both himself and Gaara.

The dog lover gaped stupidly. "Why are you always living my dream?" he sighed in sadness.

Neji scoffed and rolled his eyes. His friends are so ridiculous. "Was it Gaara?" he focused his attention on the red headed, eyeliner wearing boy.

Gaara only gave him an expressionless look.

"So you're the exchange student from Suna." his white eyes examined the new kid, head to toe. In Neji's opinion, Sunagakure definitely won the award for having the most intimidating students.

"I'm Lee!" the one with bushy eyebrows offered a hand.

Gaara didn't take it.

"He's not a touchy feeling kind of guy." Naruto added as he chowed down on his meatloaf.

He also looked like a devil-worshiper.

"Right." Lee pulled back. "Anyway, this is Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino. We're glad to have you here, Gaara." he effortlessly gave the Suna kid a friendly, vibrant smile.

Gaara wasn't quite used to being around friendly people; he made a quiet noise of acknowledgement.

"So why did they pick you to come to Konoha?" asked Kiba in curiosity.

A darkening force surrounded Gaara and everyone shivered...save for Naruto who freely enjoyed eating the mystery meatloaf. Being around Sakura for so long, he didn't pay any mind to evil auras anymore.

"I cut off my teacher's finger with a butter knife for no reason." he muttered darkly. "And my school decided sending me to Konoha high was the perfect opportunity to get rid of me for a day."

Nobody said a word. They could sense the seriousness in Gaara's words and the only way they could respond was looking at him in terror.

The silence evaporated when Naruto gulped down another bite of meatloaf and wiped his mouth sloppily. "I saw a sasquatch behind the supermarket the other day."

...

The guys suddenly broke into a fit of laughter (while Shino broke into an uncharacteristic, small chuckle).

"I really did!"

Gaara blinked in confusion and looked at everyone in amusement.

"You can always count on Naruto to make light of a seriously disturbing situation." Shikamaru grinned, recuperating from all the silliness.

After five minutes of trying to convince the gang that he actually did see a sasquatch, he finally gave up, grumbling as he continued to devour the meatloaf.

"Hey, Naruto. Looks like some girls secretly took pictures of you and put it up on facebook." Chouji eyed him teasingly.

The disguised boy scrunched his face in confusion and scratched his cheek. "What's facebook?"

"Only the greatest social network in the world!" Kiba exclaimed in excitement. "You can write statuses, put up pictures, add friends, add hot, random girls." he winked and nudged Naruto.

The 'transvestite' eyed the female population in the cafeteria suspiciously. "The last thing I wanna do is 'add girls'...whatever the hell that means." he mumbled.

"I'll make an account for you. Give me your phone." Neji held out a hand. "It can be pretty useful when the situation calls for it."

Naruto shrugged and pulled out his iPhone from his skirt pocket. While Neji played around with his phone, Naruto turned to Gaara and loudly said, "Man, I hate wearing skirts. The breeze is, like, freezing my ass off."

Gaara will never know how to respond to that one.

"Alright, here you go." Neji tossed the phone at Naruto.

He caught it with ease and flashed an appreciative smile at his male-Hyuuga friend. "Thanks, Neji. Secret handshake!" he gestured wildly with his hands.

Neji rolled his eyes.

They performed their secret handshake while Kiba watched jealously as they perfected it.

Satisfied, Naruto eyed his new account, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do first. When he looked up to ask anyone for directions, his eye unexpectedly caught a skinny girl with curly black hair and brown eyes.

Uh oh.

"I FOUND HIM! THE ONE WITH THE PINK LIPSTICK!" she pointed frantically.

A bunch of girls crowded around her and their gazes fell upon Naruto.

"GET HIM!"

In a split second, Gaara turned his head to find that Naruto had already run out of the cafeteria.

* * *

An entire hour in detention wasn't that bad when you're Sakura Haruno. The perks of having a guardian as a principal gave her the opportunity to avoid harsh punishment. When others would have to sit down and watch excruciating, educational videos, Sakura only had to sit quietly and finish her homework.

She dropped her pencil and leaned back into her chair with an exasperated sigh.

Since Tsunade was on her 'coffee break' (AKA: alcohol binge), Sakura pulled out her bedazzled cell phone and used her solitary time to log into facebook and check for any new notifications.

She blinked in surprise when she saw that Naruto Uzumaki had added her as a friend.

"Since when did he get a facebook?" she raised an eyebrow.

Either way, she happily accepted his request.

Perking up in her seat, she finally found the chance to update her status: in a relationship with Naruto Uzumaki.

She squealed girlishly in delight.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

Her happiness was interrupted when she saw Tsunade frowning at her from the door.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

The principal's frowned deepened. "You're not on myspace again, are you?"

"Nobody goes on myspace anymore, Tsunade." Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes. Sheesh, get with the times...

"Oh, what do they call it these days..." Tsunade pondered in thought. "Bookface?"

"God, you're old." Sakura whispered secretively. "It's facebook." she corrected.

"Well get off that thing and do your homework!" Tsunade waved a fist at her and slammed the door shut.

Her guardian's anger didn't undermine Sakura in any way; she still squealed quietly in happiness.

* * *

While the pack of wild girls chased him down like a piece of meat, Naruto safely hid in the boy's locker room where he knew he would be safe. He sat quietly on the bench near the showers, eagerly changing out of his disguise, and experimented a bit with facebook. It didn't take long to figure out how it all worked, and he even added his closest friends along the way. The first person he added, of course, was Sakura. He was pleasantly surprised that she accepted his request so quickly.

What surprised him even further was the amount of friend requests HE was receiving. Already over six hundred...with more coming every minute.

Tsunade wasn't kidding when she told him he was the most popular kid in school. He was also very eager to experiment with this thing called _Farmville_...

"Hey."

Naruto's heart stopped when he saw Gaara sneak up next to him

"Dammit, Gaara. Make a noise when you walk or somethin'!" he gasped for breath. "Finally got my text message, huh?"

Gaara shoved his phone into his pocket and sat casually next to Naruto. "It must be hell having to go through this everyday."

"It's actually the first day...but I'm not looking forward to the remainder of the school year." Naruto wiped the sweat off his forehead, still recovering from the shock of Gaara's sudden appearance.

Scrolling down on all the people who sent him a request, he couldn't help but think of Sasuke. Apparently, everyone has a faceook. For goodness sake, even Shino - who made quite a number of friends in the bug-community. He typed in Sasuke Uchiha's name in the search box and waited patiently for the page to load.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto muttered. "You think I should add him?" he asked Gaara.

There was his name...

No profile picture.

No info.

Everything seemed to be set in private.

"From what your friends told me, Sasuke Uchiha is apparently the biggest douche bag on the face of the planet." said Gaara.

Naruto nodded and looked back at the screen. Despite that true statement, he was still seriously contemplating on whether to add Sasuke or not. His head told him it was a bad idea, that this guy is a jerk and it was stupid to even consider it. But he felt something strange tug at his heart...

The Send Friend Request button urged him mockingly. Naruto gave into his heart, as he always does, and sent Sasuke a request. That asshole probably won't even give it a second thought, but at least he could rest easy.

He sighed and tossed his phone into his orange backpack. "Teme's not here to race me in gym class today..." he said in disappointment. "Wanna take his place and race me instead?"

"No."

Zipping up the pocket, Naruto heard heavy footsteps entering the locker room and immediately stood up in panic. When he saw a bunch of guys in his gym class coming in, he sighed in relief.

"Naruto, what's up?" said the first boy that walked in.

The others greeted him as usual, and Naruto nodded and greeted them back, happy to be alive and not trampled by a flock of crazy girls.

"I don't know." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Those girls, I tell you, ever since prom..."

The guys laughed heartily.

"We know." said a fairly muscular boy with a smirk. "I don't know if you saw my girlfriend, but she's the one with the pigtails-"

"Oh, yeah! She's pretty vicious." Naruto laughed nervously. "Are you really okay with her...'attacking' me like that?"

The light air suddenly thickened, and everyone fell silent.

"Here's the thing, Naruto..." said another boy, standing next to him. "We can't really blame our girlfriend's for what they're trying to do."

Naruto backed away as the crowd of boys walked closer to him. "Okaaay."

"Because, well, it would be hypocritical knowing WE want some of that luck too."

Gaara's eyes switched from Naruto...to the guys...and to space in confusion.

The most wanted boy in school stood silently, and at first, very unnerving. He saw that familiar look each of their eyes and his chest tightened.

Naruto grabbed his backpack and ran away.

"GET HIM!"

The guys shoved and pushed the eyeliner kid out of the way as they rushed toward the blond boy with their highly predatory instincts. It would be harder to run away from the male population; they're faster, and school-wise, dumber...therefore more eager to steal Naruto's lucky kiss.

That's when he realized there is only one person who could protect him...

* * *

"Why did you call us here?"

"Isn't it enough that you got the guy? Just leave me alone."

"Let's just hear her out, alright?"

The girl with two buns on her head scoffed. "I never thought you'd be the reasonable one, Ino. Already found a new boy to play around with?"

Ino glared. "Listen, _meatball head_, you know as well as I do that I don't. play. around."

"Guys, can we just stop fighting for once." Sakura tried to disrupt the glaring match. "I really want us to be friends again."

"Why? So you can rub the fact that Naruto chose you in our faces?" Tenten spat.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be here." the purple haired girl shook her head and attempted to walk away.

"Hinata!" Sakura called out.

The white eyed girl faced her and frowned. "Sakura..." her voice broke. "I'll accept the fact that Naruto only has eyes for you. I'll even accept that he'll probably never love me no matter how hard I try." Sakura's eyes softened watching her former best friend's eyes water. "But I can't accept you as a friend." with one last look, Hinata turned around and walked away. "At least not for now."

Sakura's face fell in defeat as she watched Tenten rush out of the girl's bathroom (still without a single toilet).

"Aren't you going to storm out, too?" Sakura quietly asked the gossip-loving girl.

Ino exhaled a deep breath. "I'll be honest with you, Sakura." she said, watching the emerald eyed girl slump deeper into sadness. "I really like Naruto...I think I might even love him." she shrugged lightly, watching Sakura's expression change inconsistently from one emotion to another.

She opened her mouth to speak, and was rightfully interrupted.

"But I know you two are meant to be together. I was just ignoring it until now..." Ino admitted softly. "Hinata might not be able to accept you as a friend." she placed a delicate hand on Sakura's shoulder. "But I will." her small smile widened when she saw the shock on her best friend's face. "Believe it or not, I really miss you're enormous forehead."

"I miss you, too, Ino-pig."

They embraced affectionately, reunited once again.

* * *

Naruto weighed the pros and cons and intelligently decided it would be best to skip his last class for today. Constantly checking his facebook status, his wall was overrun by statuses of how his lucky kiss actually worked and that he'll come in handy for the final exams.

He wasn't a thing to be used, dammit!

Throwing his phone back into the backpack, he checked his watch and tapped his fingers impatiently on the bench. His current hiding place consisted of a small, abandoned courtyard in the back of the school building; the ideal place for a hideout, but he was pretty sure it was haunted...he swore he saw creepy eyes watching him from behind the bushes.

Sakura and Gaara better get here quick. He texted both of them twenty minutes ago! It wasn't that hard to find an abandoned, haunted courtyard in the back of the school!

Scared out of his mind, he quickly searched for his phone, regretting throwing it there in the first place. He opened it up knowing facebook will distract him from the 'eyes' that were watching him. He opened a new notification and to his surprise...

Sasuke accepted his request.

Naruto leaned against the bench, his eyes wandering into space. Teme's acceptance was clearly a very good distraction. He went on Sasuke's profile page and found that it was completely empty. Nothing written on his walls, still no info, still no picture. Nothing. All he saw were two names on his friend's list: Naruto himself...

and some guy named Itachi.

"Naruto? Naruto, where are you!"

He heard that familiar, soothing, feminine voice nearby and perked up, putting his phone aside. "Over here." he tried to whisper secretively.

When he saw her pink head peek out of the corner, his heart nearly jumped out of his skin in happiness.

"Why in the world did you pick this place to hideout?" she shivered, sitting closely next to Naruto on the bench.

He wrapped a tight arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Did you know someone was murdered on this very spot?"

"Stop it, Sakura!" Naruto's eyes shook, searching for any sign of strange apparatuses. The one thing that frightened him the most, besides girls, were ghosts.

Gaara received the message shortly after scaring the bejesus out of the baseball team with the story about successfully drowning his older sister in a river and how her spirit occasionally rests within his body...

Actually, he embellished the story a little...or a lot; he really did try to drown his older sister once, but only to kill the spider crawling on her head...he hated spiders.

But they didn't need to know that.

Terrorizing the baseball team was a small pleasure he thrived on. For some reason, the people in this school didn't take him quite seriously with Naruto by his side; they were all friendly...until they would shout 'GET HIM', hunting the so called 'lucky charm' like wild dogs.

Gaara followed vague directions in the message and found himself staring outside into an empty courtyard.

No, not empty. He saw a blond haired boy tenderly holding a pink haired girl into his arms, whispering something into her ear. Gaara opened the door and stepped outside, standing closely to the corner of the building so no one would see him. He eyed the pink haired girl maliciously, thinking Naruto could do better than her. She may be beautiful, but it was all a facade. Her true colors lie within her blackened heart. Gaara knew it was too soon to judge, but...

He kind of hated her.

"If you're such a scaredy cat, why did you choose to hide in the haunted courtyard of all places?" Gaara heard her say.

She insults Naruto. Wasn't that reason enough to break up with her?

"It's abandoned, and I just thought-"

"Why are you so stupid?" she shivered from air's iciness, not exactly liking the situation they were in.

This bitch was seriously getting on Gaara's nerves.

"Sorry." he smiled apologetically.

The pink haired girl looked away, pretending to be mad. Soon enough, she gave in and smiled without looking at him. "Here." she pulled out a container from a brown paper bag and handed it to him. "I bought you something."

Naruto opened the container and looked at her surprise. "Red bean soup?"

"Mmhm!" she giggled when his face lit up.

"But...how?" Naruto watched her grab a plastic spoon from the paper bag. "The only place they sell this is..."

"Six towns away." Sakura teasingly stuck out her tongue. "Tsunade finally gave me the convertible." she winked.

Naruto looked down at his red bean soup, a luxury he hardly had the pleasure in eating. "You skipped class just to drive six towns away...to get me this?" he looked down on the little bowl of soup.

His girlfriend, the evil one who insults him, shrugged. "I found out about what happened in the cafeteria and figured you didn't get to eat much. Only an idiot would put on a poor disguise in a room full of luck-seeking girls."

Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"But you're MY idiot." she laughed at his colorful expression. "And for some reason, I love you."

Naruto grinned happily and dove his spoon right into the bowl of soup. "And for some reaosn, I love you too."

Sakura watched Naruto place his soup aside as he pulled her in closer. She closed her eyes and brought her lips to his. Moments passed, and they slowly separated, smiling radiantly at each other.

"You better watch your back though. I hear ghosts are attracted to red bean soup."

"Saaakuuuuraaaa."

Gaara closed the door quietly behind him and leaned against the wall, deep in thought. That demon girl was a confusing one...he just couldn't figure her out. Just like he couldn't figure the blond prankster out. Perhaps they were made for each other after all. Albeit she's an evil bitch,

she's an evil bitch who loves Naruto.

A small, genuine smile etched at the corner of Gaara's mouth. He lifted himself off the wall and walked away to give the couple their privacy.

* * *

As Naruto walked down the empty halls of Konoha high, he couldn't help but add a slight skip to his step. He also sported a new disguise, which this time, would be full proof: a silver haired wig, a black mask, and a 'borrowed' teacher's suit.

He was Kakashi-sensei!

This could be his greatest disguise yet.

"Dobe, why the hell are you dressed like that?"

Oh, shit.

He saw Sasuke Uchiha shut his locker and sling his backpack over his shoulder.

Naruto pulled the mask down and frowned. "Teme, how'd you know it was me?"

"Anyone with normal, functioning eyes could see it was you." Sasuke sarcastically remarked.

In total and utter failure, Naruto pulled off his wig and grumbled under his breath. "Aren't you supposed to be in Suna?"

The raven haired boy responded with a 'hn'. "I wouldn't stay in that wasteland if someone paid me a lifetime supply of tomatoes."

"Huh?"

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"You said tomatoes."

"Not."

Naruto smirked teasingly. "Wow, Sasuke Uchiha actually _likes_ something."

The Uchiha god rolled his eyes. "Whatever." he attempted to walk away.

"Wait." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. "Why did you do it?"

Sasuke shrugged his hand off. "Do what?"

"Accept my friend request."

They both fell into an awkward silence; a very first for them.

Sasuke gracefully put his hands into his pockets. "I don't know."

"Sakura's not even on your list." Naruto frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. Why?"

The heartbreaker of Konoha high turned his head and faced Naruto. "Maybe for the same reason you added me."

Sasuke's eyes glanced suspiciously away from the blond boy. When Naruto realized his new 'facebook friend' was looking at something beside him, he turned his head and gasped in horror.

"Gaara!" Naruto stumbled backwards, desperately gripping his chest where his heart beat rapidly. "I told you to make noises when you walk!"

The red head ignored Naruto's complaints and stared blankly at the dark haired boy who possessed an equal amount of intimidation. It was almost as impressive as _Pinky's_. "You're Sasuke Uchiha." he stated rather bluntly. "The douche bag."

Gaara honestly didn't even know what a douche bag was.

Sasuke threw the unrecognizable boy a severe glare and turned to Naruto. "Who the hell is this freak of nature?"

"A new friend." said Naruto, recovering from his shock for the billionth time today. "This is Gaara, the student from Suna."

"Ah." Sasuke nodded, figuring this emo kid would have to spawn from an unwanted, hot, wasteland such as Sunagakure. "Go fuck yourself, Gaara." he said blatantly and walked away without a second glance.

Naruto and Gaara quietly stood side by side.

"Would you mind if I sliced his finger off with a piece of dental floss?" asked Gaara.

"You really have a thing for fingers, don't cha?" Naruto muttered. "Actually, I sorta would mind...for some reason, I think Sasuke's my semi-_friend_." he almost shuddered at the word.

"I dislike him a lot."

"Many people do, Gaara. Many people do..." the two slowly made their way toward Konoha's exit. "I bet Suna high isn't as exciting as this place, huh?" Naruto grinned.

Gaara had to admit...it definitely wasn't.

"So, what'd ya think?" Naruto loosened his tie.

"Specifically?"

"The teachers. The students. Everything."

Gaara thought deeply. "The teachers are laid back."

"Pretty true."

"The girls are scary."

"Very true."

"And I'm not going to lie...the guys are a little gay."

"Amen to that."

"But overall..." said Gaara. "Konoha high isn't half bad."

Naruto grinned brightly, throwing Kakashi's borrowed suit carelessly on the ground. "I'll definitely stop by at your graduation...maybe you could show me around Sunagakure."

Gaara nodded. "Sounds good."

"Great!" he said in excitement. "I'll even bring Sakura-"

"Okay, stop right there." said the most intimidating boy that ever lived.

"What?"

"I am NOT cool with Pinky spreading fear and despair upon my hometown. That's MY job."

"Are you afraid of her?"

"Obviously." said his new red headed friend without any shame. "She wants to kill me."

Naruto nearly busted his gut laughing. "It's true! But don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't lay a finger on you." Gaara resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He definitely made a couple enemies at Konoha high,

but it was all worth it to make a friend like Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

A/N: Lots of love to those who wrote me a review, I really appreciate it! :)

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

And just a quick announcement: the LAST chapter of Lucky Charm will be updated on it's anniversary, December 19th :)

Hope to read many of your last reviews :D See ya!


	15. The Lucky Charm

Lucky Charm

by EikoDoll

Chapter Fifteen: The Lucky Charm

* * *

The gang watched amusingly as Naruto's "bodyguard" emits an invisible protective shield around them with a touch of darkness to scare away anyone within a twenty-foot radius.

"Man, your girlfriend is awesome." Kiba shook his head in disbelief.

Naruto grinned proudly, stuffing his mouth with fried chicken. "I know."

"Thanks, guys." Sakura held her head high.

A group of naive, freshmen girls had the nerve to step within the radius; Naruto's first thought was to run away until Sakura glared viciously in their direction and mouthed out something along the lines of 'I'll kill you, bitches.'

They quickly scurried away in fear.

"Sakura, I love you so much!" Naruto exclaimed as he scooped her into his arms and tightened his grip on her.

His girlfriend's devious mood instantly vanished and was replaced by a smile. "If I see anyone come near you, I'll fuckin' rip their throats apart." she said as casually as any normal, evil-minded girl would.

That was possibly the scariest thing Shikamaru has ever heard. "So, Sakura..." he watched the beauty from across the table slap Naruto's back violently while he choked on his chicken. "I'm glad you finally decided to hang with us."

"Yeah. What took you so long, Haruno?" Neji smirked at her.

She shrugged. "No offense, but I wasn't about to hang out with a bunch of _losers_ just because my former pretend-boyfriend was."

Shino didn't look offended, but in his mind he released an entire army of killer bees on her head.

Naruto frowned. "Sakura!"

Sakura laughed. "I'm just kidding! You guys aren't losers. _Weirdos_. But definitely not losers."

Lee's eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands together. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to us."

Kiba slobbered next to her and gazed into her radiant, emerald eyes. "And I take no offense."

Ino finished sipping her soda and turned to Shikamaru. "That's right. Besides, now that Sakura and I are friends again, she won't have to be stuck here by herself with lazy ass, fat ass, dung beetle, air bud, Yoko Ono, and Frida." she smirked respectively at all five boys around the table.

Kiba was ecstatic. He loved that movie so he took it as a compliment. "She called me _air bud_." he nudged Naruto.

Neji blinked. "Okay, you're definitely Frida, but how the hell am I Yoko Ono?" he looked at Lee.

Lee shrugged. "I thought I was air bud."

Shikamaru 'accidentally' shoved a piece of fried chicken on Ino's lap with his elbow.

"Nice. Real Nice." Ino rolled her eyes and threw the piece at Chouji (who impressively caught it with his mouth).

The gang, which now included Sakura and Ino as the newest members, laughed vigorously and continued their light banter. Naruto smiled at the sight before him; he never thought everyone would get along so well. He secretly frowned knowing there were only two people missing from this vibrant scene. Two people he cared about a lot...

"_Hi, everyone._"

The gang fell silent when they heard the soft and sweet familiar voice.

"Hinata!" Sakura immediately stood up with wide eyes.

The purple haired girl stood dubiously still, holding a tray full of food. "I was wondering if...I could join you?"

Kiba abruptly shoved Shino to the ground. "Sit here, Hinata-chan!" he begged with his eyes. This is will be the first time he'll be able to smell her hair up this close.

Her white eyes blinked in surprise as she accepted Kiba's offer.

Shino grumbled under his breath and dusted his bottom off, sitting by Chouji and glaring at Kiba who didn't seem to mind at all.

Naruto jumped out of his seat and rubbed Hinata's shoulders enthusiastically from behind. "Glad to have you back, Hinata!"

"Thanks, Naruto-kun." her face reddened, turning to both Ino and Sakura.

They smiled at her, and she smiled back.

It was unspoken, but they knew their friendship was back on track.

Neji groaned. "You guys can't be serious. Am I really supposed to hang out with my cousin now?"

"Shaddap, Neji!" Kiba barked and he scooted closer to the female Hyuuga. "You're gonna scare her away!"

Hinata smiled sweetly and giggled. "I'm sorry, Neji nii-san. Please don't throw water balloons at my head like you used to."

Everyone looked at Neji with judging eyes and he flushed. "I never did that."

Sakura laughed and hooked her arm around Hinata's, forcing her to stand up. "Come on, Hinata! You forgot to pick up your desert."

"I'm coming too!" Ino quickly pushed Shikamaru out of her way (unnecessarily) and followed her fellow goddesses.

"Wait!" Naruto called out to Sakura in panic. "How the effin' fuck are you supposed to protect me all the way over there!"

Sakura turned around and stuck out her little, pink tongue. "Don't worry. Nobody'll touch you while I'm in here." she winked and turned around as the three giggled.

Naruto slouched into his seat and shrugged.

It was true.

When Shikamaru decided the goddesses were out of hearing range, he leaned in and gestured everyone to get closer. "Now about my idea."

"I say it's suicide." said Chouji, grabbing Shikamaru's unattended chocolate pudding.

Naruto stroked his chin in thought. "It is pretty risky."

"Please, Naruto. If it's a risk, I know you'll take it." said Neji.

"True." the blue-eyed mischief nodded. "But the risk involves me getting killed by a mob of students without Sakura's protection."

"I will protect you with my life, Naruto-kun!" Lee pumped a fist in the air.

"Lee, get real." Kiba rolled his eyes. "You couldn't even save me a seat from a tiny, fourteen year old girl at the Breaking Dawn premiere."

Lee shuddered at the memory.

Neji shuddered at the memory of _agreeing_ to watch Breaking Dawn.

"Just face it, guys. This plan won't work without Sakura's help, and she DEFINITELY won't help." said a disappointed Naruto.

Everyone's spirits fell.

"There's actually another alternative." said Shino as he straightened his dark sunglasses.

The gang looked at the bug-lover in surprise.

"There's one other, besides your girlfriend, who has complete control over the student body..." Shino explained, noting the confused expression on the gang's faces. "But it'll be hard to convince him; he doesn't quite enjoy abusing his natural born power like Haruno does."

A light bulb flashed over Naruto's head, giving him an immense feeling of hope in the pit of his gut.

Perhaps their little scheme might work after all.

* * *

"This movie fucking sucks." Sasuke Uchiha rolled his eyes at the stupidity of it all.

"Tell me about it!" Naruto threw his arms in the air in a fit of anger. "Dammit, why does this always happen! Why does the bad guy always end up doing something good and then we have to feel sorry for him when he dies?"

Sakura agreed. "It totally ruins everything."

"It's like they purposely make us hate him, and at the end, we don't get the satisfaction we want watching him die a slow and painful death." Naruto wanted to punch something.

"Yeah! Why can't they make a story where the bad guy's an asshole...and he fuckin' dies an asshole!"

The couple immediately stops and gazes ironically at Sauske.

"What?" the dark eyed boy snorted.

"I guess it applies in real life too."

"Can't argue with that." Sakura turned off her TV.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and threw a piece of popcorn lightly in the air, catching it with his mouth.

"Psh. Weak." Naruto grabbed a bunch of popcorn. "You have to throw ten at least five feet in the air and catch it all with your mouth-"

Sakura glared. "Naruto, I swear if you dirty my sheets, I'll-"

"Pull my underwear over my head, take a picture, and post it on facebook?" Naruto smirked. "It's the tenth time you told me that today and you still haven't followed your threat."

Sasuke also smirked. "I'm beginning to think she's losing her touch."

"You two...are so...ugh!" she threw her pillows at the smug looking boys.

The trio made themselves comfortable on Sakura's queen sized bed moments ago, watching a rented movie on her brand new HDTV set Tsunade bought for her.

"You get good grades on your report card and baa-chan buys you a TV." Naruto said bitterly. "I get good grades and ero-sennin makes me read his stupid porno book."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto, when in your entire life did you ever get a good grade?"

"Hey, C's are consider golden in our grading system." said Naruto with pride.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, laughing at the blue-eyed boy with their eyes.

"Seriously, Sakura? You're the desperate one who needed my lucky kisses-"

"Okay, I'm gonna grab a drink." Sakura purposely interrupted her boyfriend. She pulled herself off the bed and stopped at the door. "What do you guys want?"

"Coke." said Naruto. "And a bowl of ramen!"

"Water." said Sasuke blatantly.

"Then get it yourselves!" Sakura teased and shut the door behind her.

As soon as Naruto could no longer hear her footsteps, he sat up with a spark of excitement in his eyes. "So, what do you say, teme?"

Sasuke leaned against the post of Sakura's bed and huffed. "It's a stupid idea."

"So you in?"

"No."

"Why not?" Naruto loudly complained.

Sasuke let out an irritated breath and crossed his arms. "Because if Sakura's finds out I helped you, she'll kill me. So what we both have power to control the student body? She could still beat me to a pulp if she wants to."

Sasuke Uchiha. The god of Konoha High. The one who stands equally in power with the pink haired dictator amongst the students, yet unequally against her.

"Baby."

"Idiot."

The two sat there in silence, emitting heated stares at each other.

"Okay, how bout a bribe?"

Sasuke snorted. "What could you possibly bribe me with? You should know by now that I'm fucking loaded."

Dammit.

"Fine! What if I tell you my deepest, darkest secret?"

"If it's good enough." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto's eye twitched. He couldn't believe he was about to give his secret away to the 'other' devil, especially watching him smirk like the antichrist, or what he always imagined looked like the antichrist. But on the bright side, who the hell could he possibly tell? Sasuke has no other friends. HA!

"Here it goes." Naruto lets out a deep breath.

Sasuke actually leans in. If Naruto's making a big deal out of this, it must be good.

"I...er..." he gulps.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

"I sleep with a stuffed froggy-bear."

...

Naruto grits his teeth and pulls out a deformed looking animal out of his orange backpack.

Sasuke catches the doll in midair and takes his time to stare at it. For the first time in his life...in his dreadful, boring, overbearing life...

He laughed hysterically.

Naruto's eye continues to twitch. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

And so he did. Actual tears of laughter formed at the corner of Sasuke's eyes; his gut couldn't take the pain and he fell over; he felt like he was literally dying of laughter. "This is...your dark...PFFFAAAHAHA!"

Naruto was beginning to think he should call the psychiatric ward.

After about a couple minutes of trying to compose himself, Sasuke sat up straight and got a few more laughs out of his system.

"So are you gonna help me out or what!" Naruto shouted angrily.

Sasuke wiped his teary eyes, not entirely able to give him a straight answer. "I'll think about it. There's a good chance I might though."

Naruto didn't know if he was happy or permanently disturbed. "Damn, teme. Remind me to never try to make you laugh again. You seriously scared the shit outta me." he clutched his heart in exaggeration.

Before Sasuke could make a presumptuous remark, Sakura opened the door with a cup of coke and ramen in her hands.

"What the hell is going on up here?" she scolded. "Naruto, I could hear you laughing all the way from the kitchen. My god, even the neighbors came over and asked if someone was dying a painful, excruciating death." she handed Naruto his bowl of ramen and coke.

Although he was happy to see his girlfriend with a bowl of ramen, Naruto still looked offended. "It wasn't me!"

"Who the hell else would it be!" she glared at him. "Sasuke? At least give me a believable lie, like it was the boogie man under my bed!"

Naruto looked at Sasuke, and he shrugged innocently.

Well, he knew it was pointless trying to convince her...and he'll probably never look at Sakura's bed the same way again. The other thing that frightened Naruto most, besides girls and ghosts, was the boogie man.

"Hey...where's my water?" Sasuke demanded out of the blue.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." she plopped onto the bed next to Naruto, and threw him a cheeky grin.

Sasuke glared. '_Okay_ _bitch_.' he turned to Naruto and gave him a nod._ 'Dobe, I'm in._'

Naruto gave him a secret thumbs up as if reading his mind.

* * *

A short boy with brown spiky hair and dark eyes slumped his shoulders in disappointment and kicked the smooth ground beneath his feet in failure.

Naruto firmly gripped the boy's shoulder. "Ahh, it's alright, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru pouted. "Naruto nii-chan, I totally suck."

"That's not true!" the senior loudly protested. "Okay, so your prank didn't work out the way you planned."

Konohamaru wiped his nose. "But you knew it wouldn't all along, didn't you?"

Naruto shrugged with apologetic eyes. "It seemed a bit outrageous...even for me."

The freshman boy threw his arms in the air. "Inventing a potion that turns humans into monkeys isn't outrageous!"

"It got even worse when you tested it on the cheerleading squad and they ended up growing an extra limb." Naruto shivered.

Konohamaru's face turned ghostly white. "Sheesh. It's only as long as my pinky. All you have to do is get it surgically removed. Those pussies."

"Well, just to let you know, you'll probably get sued for that."

Konohamaru gulped.

Naruto and Konohamaru walked along the empty halls of Konoha high and talked about possible 'practice' pranks they could successfully pull on the principal, Tsunade. She was probably the easiest target of them all aside from Kakashi. Just when Naruto finally had an ideal prank that was up to Konohamaru's par, his eyes caught dark hair tied in two buns and beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"Tenten!" he grinned widely and jogged up to the beauty.

Tenten jumped in surprise and flushed. "Naruto, what are you doing here? It's the weekend."

The boy she cherished the most laughed sheepishly and rubbed his neck - the many little things she loved about him.

"I was chaperoning Konohamaru's prank and well..." he cleared his throat. "If anyone asks, we were never here."

Tenten nodded and inwardly rolled her eyes at him.

Typical Naruto.

"But anyway, what are you doing here?"

Tenten pulled out a cheerleading uniform out of her bag. "I'm late for cheerleading practice."

The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes.

"I didn't know you were a cheerleader." said Naruto.

Tenten snorted. "How could you when all you could do was give your attention to Sakura." she said so softly, neither boy was able to hear.

"Hey, you two!" shouted the coach for the cheerleading team at the far side of the hall.

"Anyway, don't drink the gatorade, alright!" said Konohamaru in panic.

"Why?"

"Just trust us!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Okay, okay!"

"Nii-chan, let's make a run for it!"

"Gotcha!" they sprinted towards the exit. Naruto turned his head and gave Tenten a wave. "See ya later, Tenten!"

"Yeah." Tenten blinked in confusion.

She watched them disappear in the distance and ruefully fell against the lockers,

still madly in love with him.

* * *

"Get in line. It's not your turn." Saskue muttered darkly, staring down a mousy, frightened junior girl.

"S-Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but I really need to hurry. I have AP classes and they start earlier than regular classes. And it's finals week!"

The raven-haired boy glowered. "You think I don't know that? Get back in line."

"Okay, next!" Kiba shouted from behind the table.

Sasuke stepped aside and idly let the girl slip by.

"Yay!" she squealed.

The gang, which apparently now included Sasuke Uchiha, stood near a small booth with a big sign up above that read,

NARUTO'S LUCKY KISSING BOOTH

Being the genius he is, Naruto and the gang set the booth in the haunted courtyard where no teacher would think to find him. Or Sakura, who knows Naruto swore he would never step foot on these grounds as long as he lived. Well, desperate times. The only other people, save for Ino, Tenten, and Hianta, who knows about the booth are the students, and word spreads quickly in the halls of Konoha high. Everyone was surprisingly smart enough not to let the goddesses in on the secret,

that would lead to Sakura finding out,

and that would lead to everyone's death.

Along the table sat the mischievous fox himself smack dab in the middle, Shikamaru and Chouji on his left, and Kiba and Shino on his right. Sasuke stood in front of the booth and served as the bodyguard/protector of the Lucky Charm; if it wasn't for him, people would be fighting and clawing their way on top of each other to get to Naruto's face. He kept everyone in a perfectly straight line.

The girl in junior year eagerly ran to Naruto and dived in for a kiss until she felt a pull on the collar of her shirt.

"Sorry, Aiko-san. You must pay first." said Lee, Naruto's second bodyguard.

"I can't believe you're making me do this." Neji, the third bodyguard turned around and rolled his pearly white eyes at Naruto.

The boy could only grin.

Neji stood next to Sasuke and couldn't help but feel small next to him. The so-called 'god' had an air of superiority that drove Neji crazy. First Naruto expects him to hang out with his weirdo cousin, and now he wants him to hang out with the arrogant Uchiha? What the fuck, man?

Aiko handed Shikamaru the money and he gave her his nod of approval. "Alright, make it quick."

Naruto nodded toward the girl and she leaned in. Their lips touched for a brief moment.

"Time's up." said Chouji, eyeing his stopwatch.

As Naruto tried to break apart from her, Aiko grabbed his head and pushed him in further.

"Whoa! Can we get some security over here!" Kiba shouted.

Lee grabbed the girl around the waist and dragged her away with surprising difficulty.

"Thanks, Naruto!" she shouted with a grateful smile.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly and waved. "No problem, Aiko." he glared at the guys beside him who were trying to hold in their laughter.

"She's the sixty-ninth." said Shino, the only one who had no trouble hiding any signs of amusement.

"I lost count after thirty." Shikamaru smirked.

"Damn! Sixty nine girls purposely going over the time limit." Kiba half laughed, half cried. He truly wished he were in his friend's shoes.

Naruto sighed knowing fatigue will soon take over; it's going to be a long day. "Whatever. Just call the next one in line."

"Next!" Kiba shouted.

Sasuke turned around with a smirk. "Brace yourself, Naruto. It's a guy. And he's big." he stepped aside to show him a three hundred pound football player making his way over the table.

"Aw!" Naruto exclaimed in discontent as he snapped his head back. "Alright, bring it on!"

He was insanely bulky and smelled like beef jerky; a jock who used to beat him on Tuesdays and Thursdays,

"What's up, Haruma."

and oddly enough, is now one of Naruto's friends.

"Nothin' much, Naruto. Need a lucky kiss though."

"Kakashi's, right?"

Haruma groaned. "I don't understand a damn thing going on in his class."

"I'm sure nobody does...except nerd-boy over there." Naruto whispered and pointed his thumb at Sasuke's back.

The two laughed.

"I heard that, dobe." Sasuke murmured.

Naruto straightened his posture and got down to business. "Chouji! Time this shit, and you better not make it go over the limit again!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Chouji shrugged innocently.

"I know you set the time longer when I'm kissing dudes, you sick freak." Naruto muttered accusingly at the big boned boy.

"Okay then! Are you ready?"

Naruto cracked his neck.

* * *

"You guys notice anything weird happening today?" Ino eyed a few students who purposely tried to avoid their gazes.

Hinata arched a suspicious eyebrow. "Something definitely doesn't seem right." she watched a group of sophomores hanging around the lockers run out of sight when she saw the three girls approach.

"If something weird's going on, you have to know by now that Naruto's behind it." Sakura casually remarked. "Whether on purpose or not."

Before she could grab some random kid by the collar, he/she was quick enough to evade her action and run away.

"Wow, Sakura. You're usually quicker than that." Ino's blue eyes sparkled humorously.

"It's been a long day!" she shouted excuses in frustration. "Kakashi's final exam nearly killed me; I have no energy to torture the truth out of anyone today."

Hinata looked at her shoes as they walked toward the exit. "Why don't you ask Naruto?"

"Yeah, you can torture the truth out of him." suggested Ino.

Sakura blabbered incoherent nonsense under her breath before fully containing herself. "I can't torture him. For some reason, he's not afraid of me anymore."

Hinata smiled sadly. "Don't be so disappointed, Sakura." she said. "It just proves to show how much he's grown in love with you."

Sakura couldn't help but beam. "You always know what to say, Hinata."

Ino placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and smiled sympathetically.

* * *

Naruto, Kiba, and Konohamaru stayed behind after school and devised their next prank specifically directed at Kakashi for making an exam nobody liked. They sat comfortably by Naruto's locker with a huge piece of paper spread across the floor.

"Why the fuck do we need the kid for?" Kiba threw the brown haired boy an incredulous look.

"I'm Naruto nii-chan's protégé, you stupid dog's ass!" Konohamaru glared.

Taken aback, Kiba opened his mouth, speechless for the first time in weeks. A rarity in his case.

"Will you guys quit it? This prank is top priority!" Naruto shouted.

"_Aren't you a little too old for pranks?_"

Naruto turned his head and found Tenten's face dangerously close to his. From behind, she placed her chin on his shoulder as her eyes scanned the blank piece of paper.

"Aren't you supposed to be twirling your pom poms or whatever the hell cheerleaders do?" Naruto smirked in response.

Tenten snorted and lifted herself off the ground. "I'm taking a break." she shoved his shoulder playfully. "Want me to take you home after I'm done?" it was obvious she was hoping he'd accept the offer.

Naruto looked apologetic. "Sakura's picking me up in an hour."

"Oh." Tenten was clearly disappointed.

Kiba and Konohamaru exchanged glances with each other.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." she backed away.

"Wait, Tenten-"

"Break's over. I gotta get back to practice." she walked away without looking at him.

The trio of pranksters sat quietly for a moment, lost aimlessly in their own thoughts. Naruto crumpled the piece of paper on the ground and subconsciously started ripping it apart, throwing it into the air.

"That lesbian is still nuts for you." Konohamaru broke the silence with his usual odd choice of words.

"What am I gonna do about her?" Naruto threw the rest of the paper ball over Konohamaru's head and leaned back against his palms. "I feel so bad when she's...when she's..."

"Pining over you like a bitch to her pimp?"

Naruto snorted loudly while Kiba slapped the boy's back and laughed. "Nothing like that, Kono. But thanks for the distraction."

Konohamaru shrugged.

"Here's the deal, Naruto. You wanna get rid of Tenten, right?" asked Kiba.

"That sounds kinda harsh." Naruto muttered.

"It's true."

"I just don't want her to get hurt over me."

Kiba beamed and slammed a fist into his palm. "Then we'll set her up with someone else!"

Naruto considered this. "If she doesn't go for Sasuke, what makes you think she'll go for any other guy?"

"Duh. We'll set her up with a homosexual."

"Great idea! Have you seen any homosexuals around lately?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"The muscular cafeteria lady with the unibrow looks like she could be one." Konohamaru's face distorted.

Kiba smirked. "Think about it. Who are the only openly gay people in our school?"

"Tenten..." Naruto distinctively remember seeing a certain face more times than he should have.

**Flashback**

"Sasuke, next!" Kiba shouted.

The onyx-eyed boy turned to the next person in line and narrowed his eyes.

Naruto held his head high to see what was taking so long and gaped widely when he saw who was causing the hold up. He shrunk in his seat.

"Okay, Sai." said Sasuke, crossing his arms with authority. "You've been at this booth more than ten times today. Unless you actually have that many classes a day, get the hell out of here."

Sai presented his best fake smile. A feature he was particularly good at. "I actually have have a hundred and twenty four classes a day."

Sasuke stared at his look alike (who truly paled in comparison). He bent down to pet Kiba's incredibly huge dog, Akamaru, and pointed at Sai. "Sick 'em."

**End of Flashback**

At that moment, Naruto could openly admit that he greatly appreciated Sasuke's friendship

"...and then there's Sai." his insides quivered. "But-"

"Folks, we have ourselves a winner." Kiba flashed his white, sharp teeth.

"..."

Konohamaru also seemed entirely lost. "I don't get it."

"Hello, brainless! It's the perfect solution! They're both homosexuals!" Kiba held out a fist, waiting for someone to bump it.

Naruto looked blankly at him. "I don't think you understand the concept of-"

"Naruto, think about it." Kiba interrupted, lowering his fist. "Tenten's a homosexual. Sai's a homosexual. They have so much in common, it's bound to work!" he cried with reason.

The blond haired boy cupped his chin and threw his friend a nod. "You know what, it kinda makes sense when you put it that way!"

Konohamaru actually didn't understand anything, but nodded his head enthusiastically so he wouldn't be left out.

"So it's settled!" Kiba, once again, held out his fist.

"Yeah!" the three performed a three-way fist bump.

* * *

The booth continued prosperously the next day, and Naruto's lips were beginning to noticeably swell up after a few hours.

"We have so much money." Shikamaru leaned over, recounting the profits again and again. "And it's only the second day of exams."

Naruto messaged his lips. "I know. Don't remind me."

"Bring in the next one!" said Kiba.

Sasuke let a female figure pass through and the gang immediately perked up.

"Now this is what I'm talkin' about." Kiba eyed the girl hungrily from head to toe.

The girl had long legs, a curvy body, and wavy dark locks that reached her waist; a possible candidate for a goddess. She purposely bent over for Naruto to reveal a slightly unbuttoned collared shirt with cleavage nearly the size of melons. Naruto twitched at the enclosing proximity between them. He once had a nightmare about his face being wedged between Tsunade's breasts, and they suffocated him to the point where his lungs collapsed and eventually died.

Which is probably the reason why Naruto highly preferred Sakura's average ones compared to these abnormally large ones.

"Chouji, make this one quick!" Naruto hastily whispered.

'You're insane.' Kiba mouthed, eyeing the girl's breast.

"Hi, there, Naruto." she sexily flipped her hair aside and smiled seductively.

"Uh, hi, _youuu_." he didn't quite know her name. "Ready to get this over with?" he hoped to god her boobs won't come in contact with his face.

The girl frowned, a little offended. "Get this over with? It's like you don't want to kiss me at all. Or any girl for that matter."

Naruto grinned boyishly and laughed blushing. "There's only one girl I like to kiss."

The girl blinked in surprise; a light shade of pink tinted her cheeks. "That's actually...incredibly sweet."

"What is?"

The girl giggled and shook her head at his naiveness. "Never mind. How about that lucky kiss?"

"Five bucks." said Shikamaru.

The girl's eyes widened. "For a stinkin' kiss!"

"An A+ kiss!" Naruto corrected.

Her eyes narrowed in thought and she tapped her fingers against the table separating herself and the Lucky Charm. "You drive a hard bargain, Uzumaki. You're lucky you're cute." she reached into her shirt and pulled out a several dollar bills much to Kiba's life fulfilled pleasure.

She pressed her glossy lips against Naruto's and Chouji carefully timed it.

"Time's up!"

Naruto pulled back and gave the girl a wide grin. "Thanks for your service."

"I'll be back tomorrow." she winked and made sure she impressed him by walking away with emphasis on her voluptuous body.

Everyone behind the table watched her walk away with mouths wide open.

"_Ahem._"

Naruto slowly peeled his eyes away from the dark haired girl and turned to the voice.

"AH!" he nearly fell back.

With her fiery, green eyes and voracious pink hair, Sakura Haruno, the girlfriend, crossed her arms glaring at Naruto like he was about to die.

The rest of the guys heard Naruto's scream and turned their heads to find the vision of a she-demon.

"AH! they actually fell out of their seats.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" her face was expressionless, which is the worse expression that could ever be expressed by her.

"Uh, Sakura. This isn't what it looks like." Naruto held his hands up in defense.

"This looks oddly like a kissing booth." her eyes wandered up to a big sign above. "But not just any kissing booth, it's 'Naruto's LUCKY kissing booth'." her fists clenched.

"How did you find out?"

"How do you think? I chased a freshmen boy down the hall and pulled his underwear over his head."

Ah, torture.

"Okay, Sakura, let me explain." Hearing silence on her part, Naruto continued. "People are gonna kiss me whether I like it or not. So, I might as well charge them while they're at it, right?" he watched her demon form worsen.

"Oh, shut up. You've had a taste of kissing _other_ girls and now you want more!" Sakura's eyes blazed.

Chouji literally had to run away because she was upsetting his stomach.

Naruto looked at the love of his entire life in confusion. "Sakura, the only girl I want to kiss is you. I've been in love with you practically my whole life, why would I want to kiss anyone else?"

The girls in line gushed heavily at the sentiments.

That Naruto. He probably doesn't even realize how great of a sweet talker he really is.

Sakura softened dramatically; she couldn't quite help melt at the palm of his hands. "So what are you saving up for anyway?"

Naruto released all of his anxieties and stood up, pulling her closer. "I'll tell you later." he kissed her lips. "And that one's for free."

Everyone watched as Sakura walked away in silence, occasionally looking back to see Naruto smiling at her from the booth. When she was out of sight, it was back to business.

"By the way, teme, thanks for the warning." Naruto threw a quarter at Sasuke's head from the cash register.

He dodged the flying coin easily and shrugged with a smug look on his face.

* * *

A middle-aged man with gray hair looked cross as one of his regular costumer sat on the table eating something out of a small bowl.

His costumer lifted her head when she realized the man was staring at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"You know what." the man 'hmphed'.

The girl slammed her chopsticks on the table and gave the man an appalling glare. "Teuchi, for the last time, I don't like ramen!" her emerald eyes mocked him.

"Naruto! Get this traitor outta here!" Teuchi turned around and shouted.

Naruto revealed himself in an Ichiraku Ramen uniform and held two bowls of ramen in his hands. He placed it on the table for the waitress and frowned.

"I can't! She's my girlfriend."

"I don't care! She always comes in here with her dumb takeout from the competing restaurant across the street and flaunts it in my face every time she's here!" the gray haired man grumbled.

Sakura shrugged and continued eating from her takeout.

"Hey, Sakura, can't you at least order something on our menu?" Naruto came out of the kitchen again and brought back two more bowls of ramen.

She scoffed and went silent for a while as if considering his idea. "Fine, I'll have a glass of water."

"Argh!" Teuchi gave up and stomped back into the kitchen.

Naruto shook his head shamefully and leaned against the counter Sakura was eating on. "Don't you ever get tired of teasing the old man?"

Sakura giggled and picked at her umeboshi. "Nope! It's so funny when his face turns purple like that."

"_You're ruthless, Sakura._"

She turned to the voice sitting next to her. "Samui, isn't it about time you head back to Kumogakure already?"

A girl about Sakura's age sipped the last of her soup and placed it gracefully on the table for Naruto to pick up. She sported a skimpy top that revealed most of her bulging cleavage, but still somehow managed to have an air of sophistication about her. "I'm not done yet. Naruto, another bowl. The usual." she said.

"Thank you, Samui, for being a true Ichiraku costumer." Naruto glowered teasingly at his traitor of a girlfriend.

Sakura threw a chopstick at his back. "So anyway, Samui, when are you graduating from Kumo high?"

"About a week after Konoha high's graduation." she plainly replied.

"Just like Red, huh? He goes to Sunagakure."

"Who's Red?"

"Some freak. I wanted Naruto to pull a prank on him during the ceremony."

Samui made a noise that was very similar to Sasuke's 'hn'. "It sounds like something he would do."

"Only, he doesn't want to do it. Something about me being spiteful or whatever."

"You have to admit-"

Samui was cut off when she heard a screeching, female voice coming from the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen. The two turned around and found a beautiful dark haired girl in a shimmery dress stomp into the restaurant.

"Tenten?"

"Where the hell is he, Sakura!" the brown-eyed girl demanded.

Sakura turned to the kitchen and shouted, "Naruto! I think your plan backfired." she sang, as if knowing it would happen all along.

There was an extremely long pause before Naruto hesitantly forced himself out of the kitchen. He slapped on a goofy smile and laughed nervously. "Oh, helloooo, Tenten-"

"Don't hello me, you little..." she hastily took off her earrings as if indicating a future wrestling match. "I know what you were trying to do, you stupid idiot!" she kicked off her heels.

Samui found herself completely enamored by the girl's fiery spirit.

Naruto mentally kicked himself. Okay, the plan didn't work. Thanks a lot, Kiba.

"Hooking up two homosexuals of the opposite sex is a stupid and idiotic idea, even for you!" she hitched up her dress, ready to engage in a fight.

"Uh, Sakura-?" he turned to the pink haired girl.

She scooted away. "You're on your own." she betrayed him again. First the ramen, now this.

"Tenten, I'm sooooorrry!"

She chased him around the restaurant with waving fists.

Samui watched the scene in bemusement. She especially had her eye on the girl running around with a heel, a new weapon, in her hand. "That's the girl Naruto's always talking about?" she asked curiously.

"That's the one." she flinched when Tenten caught Naruto in headlock.

Samui pondered to herself. "He didn't say anything about her being a lesbian."

Sakura sighed with her cheek in her palm. "Bisexual. But the only boy she has the hots for is Naruto."

That was clearly obvious.

Samui played with a strand of her blonde hair, still looking as stoic as ever. "You know, there aren't a lot of openly gay girls in Kumo..."

Sakura poked a hole through an umeboshi with her remaining chopstick. "I'm pretty sure Tenten's the only lesbian in Konoha."

"And she's really beautiful, too." Samui's eyes wandered on the angry girl's face.

Sakura raised an impish eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me _you're_ a...?"

Samui smiled.

* * *

Tenten ordered an extra large bowl of ramen and pulled up her hair in two buns; although a bit uneven, she was so frustrated she didn't even care.

Samui watched her in fascination. "So what was all that about?"

Tenten was about to tell her to stuff it and it was none of her business, but when she turned to face her, she couldn't help but admire the girl's crystal blue eyes and silky blonde hair.

It's like she sees him wherever she goes!

"That idiot..." she said, gesturing towards Naruto.

He sat way on the opposite end of the restaurant, with Sakura rubbing his shoulder with one hand and slapping a slab of frozen meat on his face with the other. "Ow!" they heard him yell. His girlfriend laughed.

Tenten scoffed. "He told me he was taking me out to a restaurant, but when I got there, I was seated at a table with frickin' _Sai_. That gay little weirdo said he thought HE was going out on a date with Naruto. He double crossed the both of us." Teuchi placed a bowl of ramen on the table and handed her chopsticks. She viciously stabbed the noodles.

"...Naruto only did it because he loves you." Samui sipped her cup of tea.

Tenten pretended not to care.

"I've been a regular at Ichiraku Ramen for about a month now. Whenever I'm here, he's always telling me, 'How can I make Tenten happy?' or 'What can I do for Tenten?'. The same goes for _cotton candy_ over there."

Tenten's body perked; her eyes eventually wandered to Naruto and Sakura.

"You have a very special place in his heart, you know."

The two girls looked at each other and smiled.

"And another thing." Samui continued to sip her tea without looking at the beautiful brown-eyed girl. "If you're ever interested, I think I'd like to take you on a date."

Tenten froze, snapping her head toward the busty blonde high school girl whose body matured beyond her teenage years. "You're...?"

Samui's dull blue eyes held a glint of flirtation.

Tenten dropped her own brown eyes and blushed.

It's true, this girl from Kumo is extremely beautiful, but...

Once again, her attention was on Naruto. She watched him rub his neck and laugh sheepishly at something Sakura said. His boyish grin made her heart melt a thousand times over.

"I'm sorry." she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "If you asked me months ago, I would've definitely said yes." she finally forced herself to look away. "But unfortunately..."

Naruto made odd gestures to amuse Sakura, which consequently led him to fall on his butt.

"I'm in love with an idiot."

Samui nodded her head in apprehension and lifted herself up after finishing her tea. "I understand." she smiled. "I'm surprised I haven't fallen in love with him already. He's really cute." she chuckled teasingly.

Tenten returned the laugh.

"Bye, Tenten. I have a pretty long drive to Kumo." she kissed Tenten's cheek and walked out of the restaurant.

The brown haired girl touched her cheek and blushed.

"Heeeeey. So how did it go?" Sakura tiptoed to Tenten's table, eagerly sitting next to the blushing girl.

"It was...pretty good." her blush intensified.

Sakura hugged Tenten's shoulders. "I knew it would work out! When Samui first got here, I thought she was just trying to flirt with Naruto. But you know, she's actually a pretty cool-"

"I turned her down."

Oh.

Sakura released her grip and frowned, clearly disappointed. "Why would you do that? She's insanely hot."

Tenten shrugged. "I know, but...I still..." her head turned to see Naruto safely seated on the other side of the restaurant, waiting for angry-Tenten to calm down.

Sakura's eyes dulled and she could only nod.

"But thanks anyway." Tenten smiled at her. Sakura couldn't help but embrace her again; it's been so long since she's last seen her best friend smile. "At least you tried to hook me up with someone I could possibly date. Naruto tried to set me up with Sai...GAY Sai." she gagged. "He thinks I'm ugly!"

"I will never understand Sai." Sakura frowned. "He thinks I'm ugly too!"

They laughed.

"Naruto thinks you're still mad at him." said Sakura, picking at her leftover umeboshi. "Even though his idea was stupid, he did it for you."

Tenten wiped her tears of laughter and looked affectionately at the boy who stole her heart. "I'll be right back."

"Go already." Sakura pushed her lightly.

As she watched Tenten slap Naruto around a little, this time with fondness, there was a tug on her heart that made her think this year had been the greatest time of her life. She has all her friends now...the love of her life...

this is true happiness.

And Naruto felt exactly the same way.

* * *

Something inside him stirred. It was an odd feeling, but an incredibly strong one. At first he blamed it on something he ate this morning...but this was entirely different.

He knew what it was...

Naruto abruptly stood up, pushing his chair away with extreme force.

The gang looked up at him in shock; the sudden impact gave them a temporary scare.

"What's wrong?" asked Shikamaru, raising his eyebrow at Naruto from his seat.

"It's gone." he quietly said.

"What is? The money! Shikamaru what the hell!" Kiba barked.

"The money's right here, dumb-ass." Shikamaru muttered.

"Well, thank god, then. Naruto, what the hell, man?" Kiba complained.

Naruto slowly sat himself down, staring aimlessly at the ground. "My luck. It's gone."

Sasuke had long since left his post and huddled in with the rest of the gang for their secret meeting. The crowd of students impatiently waited their turn for a kiss behind the caution tape. "How do you know?"

His blond friend shrugged. "I just know."

If Naruto was this stirred up about it, nobody made an attempt to question him.

"So what now?" asked Neji.

"I guess I'll have to tell everybody." Once again, he got up on his feet and straightened his posture.

"They'll kill you, Naruto-kun! I bet nobody studied for the exams; they'll expect a lucky kiss." said a worrisome Lee.

"He's right. I don't think I can hold them back when they find out." said Sasuke. "Contrary to what people think, I'm not a god."

Neji sighed...he was also very satisfied about the guy finally admitting he wasn't so hot. "Uchiha has a point. Maybe you should make a run for it."

Naruto shook his head. "I can't do that. I have to tell them."

"Fine. Tell them, _and_ _then_ make a run for it." Shikamaru proposed.

"It seems like the only alternative." said Shino.

"Chouji, what do you think?" Naruto turned to the big boned boy.

He froze. "I think whatever Shikamaru suggests, you should do it."

"Running away is so troublesome." Naruto grumbled.

"You sound like me now." Shikamaru scoffed.

Lee nodded. "We'll hold them back as long as we can, Naruto-kun."

"Do you really think people will beat him up for this? He's the most popular guy in school." Kiba looked incredulous.

"I'm pretty sure his popularity has more to do with him being a lucky charm rather than Naruto being Naruto." said Shino.

Sasuke inwardly snorted. They truly underestimated they way Naruto affected these people. He was surprised he was the only one who had faith. "I changed my mind. Naruto, just tell them. You don't have to run..._everyone_ will understand."

The gang looked at the infamous Uchiha in disbelief.

Naruto allowed himself to take in Sasuke's advice and finally worked up the nerve to take action. "Okay. Let's do this!" he jumped confidently onto the table, hoping to catch the crowd's attention. "People! There's something I have to confess!" he shouted.

"_Naruto, what's taking so long!_"

"_I have to take my exam soon!_"

"_Hurry up!_"

Naruto gestured them to calm down. "Alright, alright! Hear me out first; it's important!"

The shouts and complaints eventually died down and their attention was focused entirely on the Lucky Charm himself; Naruto was finally allowed to speak.

"You'll probably hate me for saying this, but before I do, please avoid bruising my face. I don't wanna look like the asshole that got himself beat up the day before graduation." he laughed and rubbed his neck nervously.

There was a scatter of chuckles and smiles amongst most of the crowd. They patiently awaited his confession.

"Well, anyway..." his chest heaved. "I lost my luck!"

The abandoned courtyard fell silent.

"I don't have it anymore. If you kiss me now, it'll be for nothing." he didn't even bother to observe their reaction. "If you want to beat me, I understand. I would too...especially when something important like exam week is at stake." he closed his eyes and waited for the first hit.

After seconds of waiting, he slowly opened his eyes thinking, 'What gives?' Instead of pain, he heard everyone laughing in manner that made his ears split. He looked at everyone in the gang and they were just as confused as he was.

"_He really is an idiot, isn't he?_"

"_Thank god he's good looking._"

"_Hey, Naruto! What makes you think we'll beat you up?_"

"_I think he forgot we're all friends here!_"

The crowd of students slowly began to disappear, many of whom decided to give Naruto a slap on the back or a kiss on the cheek. Either way, Naruto was beginning to compose himself.

Sasuke leaned against the booth and smirked.

He knew it all along.

The courtyard soon cleared until the only people present was Naruto, the gang,

and all four goddesses.

They saw the four walking toward the booth looking oddly pleased with themselves. Sakura made herself comfortable sitting on the booth where Naruto stood, and he soon followed suit.

"Well, I guess you're no longer my Lucky Charm." she linked her arm around his.

Naruto smiled sadly. "Yeah." he said. "Disappointed?"

Sakura failed to hide her smile. "You know what? Your luck was actually beginning to piss me off. I'm glad it's gone; watching you kiss all those girls was a pain in the ass." she kissed his lips. "If anyone ever kisses you again, I'll cut them to pieces."

Naruto's heart nearly beat out of his chest. He now loved it when she said those things.

"So do you know what caused you to lose your luck?" asked Ino in curiosity.

Naruto hung an arm over Sakura's shoulders and tightened his grip affectionately. "I really don't know. I'm guessing it's because I don't need it anymore." he looked at Sakura. She smiled tenderly at him.

"Then maybe you've unintentionally passed it down to someone who desperately needs it more than you do!" Kiba wondered in thought. He looked at Hinata with frisky eyes; he wiggled his eyebrows. "Hey, Hinata. Wanna test it out?" he puckered his lips.

Hinata giggled and playfully shoved his face away.

"By the way, I've been wondering..." said Naruto. "...how come you guys never tried to kiss me?" he asked suspiciously.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, teme."

Shikamaru smirked. "We got to know you more than anyone else in this school. The idea of kissing you is fucking unbearable."

Everyone laughed.

"After today's exams, let's celebrate at Ichiraku's! It's on me." Sakura unexpectedly announced.

Naruto couldn't love her anymore than he did now. "Uh, guys, do you mind?" he signaled his friends.

Tenten pushed the girls back into the building and gave Naruto a wink. The guys gave Naruto a mental thumbs up and finally left the couple to themselves.

Sakura blinked in confusion. "What are you up to?"

After precious moments of staring into each other's eyes, Naruto finally broke apart and reached for something in his pocket. He kept his hand in there for the time being and breathed nervously.

"What's going on?"

He cleared this throat. "Uh...you know I love you right?"

"Of course. You've made it very clear at prom." she teased.

"And you love me too right?

"More than anything." Okay, this was getting a little serious. What is he getting at?

He finally pulled his hand out of his pocket and pulled out a small, black box made of velvet. He held it out for her to take and she gasped.

"It's the diamond earrings I wanted for my birthday!" she squealed happily. "So that's why you set up the kissing booth." she didn't open the box but instead held it fondly against her cheek.

Naruto's blue eyes lit up. "Yeah! I actually ended up getting too much money, so I donated the rest to the animal shelter down my old street."

"I thought it was weird how they named the shelter after you all of a sudden."

Naruto nudged her arm with his elbow and gestured toward the box. "Open it."

Her smile brightened. "Okay!" she quickly opened the box. A few seconds passed, and the longer she stared at the opened box, the more she realized the diamond earrings she wanted for her birthday...

wasn't diamond earrings.

"This is..."

Naruto looked away and grinned slyly. "An engagement ring."

Sakura snapped her attention away from the ring and widened her deep, emerald eyes at her boyfriend.

He rubbed his neck. "I just thought..." he began. "...I love you more than anything in the world. I've always wanted to marry you, Sakura; I was seven and even then I knew you were the only one for me." with the back of his heel, he kicked the booth in embarrassment.

"What about all those years you hated me?"

"I already decided to block those years out." he laughed.

"You're proposing to me..." she looked teasingly into his mischievous blue eyes. "...in the haunted courtyard?"

A cold, eerie wind blew by and Naruto pulled Sakura closer to his body. "Hehe. I couldn't wait anymore. So, how 'bout it?"

Sakura broke their gazes. "Hmph. 'How bout it?'" she scoffed. "Someday, our children will want to know how you proposed to me, and I'm gonna have to tell them it was in the haunted courtyard behind Konoha high, and your father said 'How bout it?'" her radiant smile finally broke free.

Naruto's eyes widened. "So does that mean...?"

Sakura shrugged, struggling to hide her smile. "Might as well."

Naruto locked her into a tight embrace and kissed her.

They definitely didn't need a lucky charm anymore.

**The End**

* * *

A/N: Thanks so very much to all those who supported this fic, and especially to those who stuck with it from the beginning!

And as for the Lucky Charm sequel...

:D

Tell me what you think and VOTE now on my profile page!


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